My Obstinate Familiar
by Maisuki-chan
Summary: AU. Naminé thought of her familiar as hardheaded, impudent, and unruly. Too bad that he's even worse as a human.
1. Questioning a Familiar's Status

**My Obstinate Familiar**

Chapter 1: Questioning a Familiar's Status

Why do witches have to have familiars?

Naminé sighed as she added an ingredient to the big black cauldron containing a lavender-colored liquid. It bubbled and boiled, turning to a lighter shade of blue. She reached out to grab one of the vials sitting on a nearby table while she continued to stir.

To some people, making a pot full of blue liquid in a dark basement by candlelight would be a strange and suspicious activity. But it wasn't such a strange thing, considering that Naminé was a witch.

Since she was young, Naminé displayed a gift for the magical arts. Thus, she practiced and studied at an academy for witches and warlocks and was considered one of the school's top students, but she disagreed with some of the practices, including the dark arts. When she graduated, she decided to use her magic and talents solely for the purpose of helping people. So she moved to a cottage at the edge of the woods near a town and tried to help as many people as she could. Because of this – and the fact that she chose to wear a white dress around customers – the townsfolk dubbed her the "White Witch."

Her work was mostly with potions though. She was very adept at spells and charms, but she rather enjoyed the challenging process that potions gave her. Every potion she completed and every difficult recipe she managed to overcome made her happy. She enjoyed every bit of it. She also made sure to choose the appropriate potions to suit the requests of her customers, because she felt a responsibility to protect and to be careful with what she makes and sells to people.

Currently, she was working on a potion for a customer who suspected that her husband was having a secret affair with one of the barmaids. She called on Naminé to help her find out the truth. At first, she refused, but then after the customer's insisting, Naminé agreed to the deal on the terms that the potion would be used solely for finding out only information on her husband. If he indeed was unfaithful to her, she must not use the potion to find information or even harm the mistress.

Once the customer agreed to the terms, Naminé devised a potion that would turn her faithful cat temporarily into a human so that the cat could relay messages to her master. Of course, she could have used other potions like the truth serum or the surveillance potion, but Naminé believed that the human transformation potion was the safest method. The truth serum would only cause more problems if irrelevant questions were asked, and the surveillance potion would take too long to make.

On the other hand, the recipe for the transformation potion was quite difficult, but it didn't take that long to make. It took her about a week to make and to maintain, requiring maximum concentration and supervision, but it looked to be almost complete. She was happy that it came out the way it should be, but she had hoped that her familiar would have helped her with the process.

Even though he was very intelligent, he was such an unruly, stubborn familiar. That Roxas…

Why couldn't she have had a more obedient, more respectful familiar?

It was the one requirement that the academy enforced on their students. It was also a requirement to graduate. Before a witch or a warlock completes his or her studies, they must have a familiar spirit, a companion for their works, studies, and travels. It was not known why a witch or a warlock had to have one. Naminé once asked her teachers about it, but even they couldn't give her a straight answer.

It wasn't that she disliked the idea of a familiar. She was actually looking forward to having one to assist her with her work and studies. She was still curious as to their importance, but since it was a requirement for graduation, they must have held some kind of significance to the life of a witch or warlock.

Then there was the process that everyone went through to acquire a familiar. Some students immediately found their familiars while doing mundane tasks like studying or playing games. Others found their companions by meditating. Then there were students like Naminé who had to summon their familiar spirit.

Naminé tried to wait patiently, tried to distract herself by studying and doing various activities, and even tried to meditate! Only to find unyielding results. It didn't even help that graduation was looming closer.

So she tried the only method she knew, the one that other students use when their familiar had yet to appear. She summoned him.

Of course, out of all the other familiars, she had to summon the incorrigible wolf who went by the name of Roxas. She heard her teachers say how fortunate she was to have him as a familiar, but she thought he was impertinent and hard headed. Her expectation to have a helpful familiar went up in smoke.

Why couldn't she have had a loyal, eager-to-please familiar like Sora? Kairi, her best friend and fellow witch graduate, was lucky to find such an adorable and reliable familiar, a brown lion that followed her everywhere. Both of them were inseparable and obviously happy with each other's company. To think that she found him while doing laundry!

Naminé sighed once again, wiping a sweat off her brow and pushing back a sleeve. The potion was almost done. She had to let it simmer for about an hour and then add the final ingredient. Then it would be complete.

She washed her hands at the basin on the far corner, blew out the candles, and headed back upstairs. She winced as the bright afternoon light hit her eyes, which were slow to adjust from the darkness of the basement. She blinked a few times and wondered what Roxas was doing since he was obviously not interested in helping her with the potion.

"Roxas!" she called through the cottage. There was no answer.

She huffed. Of course he wouldn't answer her. He was most likely taking a nap!

She rounded the corner and saw the tan-colored wolf lounging in his usual spot on the cushion in the living room. He lay on his back with his feet in the air and his tongue rolled out. She wrinkled her nose. He was so lazy! He obviously knew that she called for him.

She walked over to his lazy body and prodded him with her foot. He snored in response.

She kicked him a little harder, making him yelp. Roxas rolled to his feet and glared at her, angry that she disturbed his slumber and dared to kick him to get his attention.

"I know that you're faking it, Roxas. Don't pretend that you didn't hear me," she chastised.

He rolled his blue eyes.

"Don't you give me that," she said. "Now I want you to go to Ms. Larxene's house and fetch her – and don't give me that look," Naminé commanded as she saw him give her a quizzical look, "You know your way around town already. Stop being so lazy and be a good familiar for once."

He gave a defiant expression, challenging her authority.

"Okay, fine. Then there won't be any supper for you," she threatened. His snout turned upwards as if saying that it doesn't matter since he could hunt for food. He turned around and plopped right back into his cushion with his back facing her.

"Oh, that's right. I was going to bake that apple pie today," she looked upwards with a finger under her chin, pretending that she just now recalled it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his ears perk up at the sound of the treat.

"I guess that since you won't be having any dinner, you can't eat dessert. So then I'll just have to enjoy the delicious, scrumptious, mouth-watering apple pie by myself," she secretly snickered as she saw some drool pool from his mouth and onto the cushion. This trick worked almost every time. She knew that he couldn't resist the temptation of the sweet dessert. Her apple pie was his favorite.

She wiped the grin off of her face when she saw his head turn around, give her a glare, and head right out the open door. She watched his form walk on the road leading towards town.

"Don't even think about going near the butcher's! I won't save you like I did last time!" she shouted to him even though he was already gone. She knew he heard her though.

Wiping the dust and grime off of her hands, Naminé headed back in, ready to do some more chores while the potion was simmering. She could probably even get started on making that apple pie.

Acting on that thought, Naminé headed towards the kitchen, put on an apron, and gathered the materials and ingredients for the apple pie. She washed the apples, peeled them, sliced them, and then she put them into a bowl filled with water and a bit of lemon juice. She was about to reach for the dough she had made that morning when she heard Roxas' howl from the distance.

She smiled as she wiped her sticky hands on the apron. She walked to the door to greet her guest and was almost barreled over by Roxas, who ran straight towards the kitchen. He came right back, his expression almost disappointed that the pie wasn't ready. Then he headed over to his cushion and sat with his back facing her, most likely sulking for waiting for his reward.

Naminé chuckled as she greeted the lovely but spunky Larxene.

"Hello again," she smiled as she directed her to one of the couches. "I hope Roxas wasn't too much of a trouble to bring you here. I would have fetched you myself, but I needed to stay by the potion in case something happened."

Larxene nodded in response. "That's fine," she said while looking over to the wolf. "Besides, he looks like he needed a walk. I don't know what you're feeding him, but it looks like he should cut back on the sweets!" She laughed out loud. Naminé giggled as she saw Roxas turn his head to glare at the guest.

"I was lucky enough to get him out the front door," Naminé laughed, "If it wasn't for that apple pie, he probably would have slept all day like he always does!"

She saw his glare switch to her and snorted, obviously not liking her teasing. He got up and walked out the door, most likely going to rest near the flowerbeds at the side of the cottage.

Naminé looked at the grandfather clock and excused herself to go check on the potion. Meanwhile, Larxene made herself comfortable, taking a seat on the floral couch next to Roxas' cushion.

Naminé went to the big black cauldron, nodding as she examined its baby blue color. She scanned the shelves full of odd ingredients and reached for one with the label _Moon Dust_. She took a pinch and added it to the concoction, watching it gurgle and spit. Then it turned into a nice shade of aquamarine. She grinned in victory as she stretched her muscles.

It was done. Now all she had to do was to bottle and cork it.

She turned around and took a box full of empty vials and a ladle. She carefully scooped up the contents and dispensed them into the containers. When she was done, she counted how many vials she used. There were about 13 in total. It was more than enough for the order, but Naminé thought that she might as well make a batch in case there was another order for it. Besides, the potion was due to expire in 5 years.

She smiled at her accomplishment as she took one of the vials and stored the other 12 in a cupboard filled with other completed potions. She left the empty vials on the table and cleaned the cauldron before heading back upstairs.

"Sorry for the wait. Here's your order, Larxene," she said as she reached the top of the stairs. "The effects only last about 2 days, which is probably more than enough. I'd recommend giving the potion to the cat in the morning after Axel leaves for work so that you would get your full money's worth. But I must warn you that even though you're cat will be temporarily human, it will still act as thought it was still a cat."

Larxene stood and took the vial carefully from the witch's hands. She wrapped it in a handkerchief and gently placed it into the pocket of her apron. "So…he'll still chase mice and all those things?"

Naminé nodded. "He'll still be the same cat, but you have to tell him not to be distracted by anything. I'm sure that if you give the order, he'll obey since he's that loyal to you."

Larxene hugged the witch with such intensity that was quite unusual for the woman. "Thanks, Naminé. You're a lifesaver."

It was sad to see that someone as strong as Larxene would have to use these measures because of the possibility of an affair. It must be worrying her more than what she showed on the surface. Naminé was glad that she accepted the job and that she could at least help with this predicament. The witch owed her a lot since it was Larxene who noticed Naminé – who had just arrived that morning – wandering around town and was kind enough to show her around. But the witch sincerely hoped that there really wasn't a relationship between Axel and the barmaids. Otherwise, he'd have more than Larxene's wrath to face.

Larxene handed her a few silver coins and a couple of copper coins along with a small pouch filled with cookies as payment. They stayed and chatted for a bit before Larxene had to leave to make supper for her husband and the children. Naminé waved goodbye as Larxene's form disappeared in the woods. She looked up at the sun which was already beginning to set. She was surprised at how late it became.

As she was waving goodbye, Naminé felt a tug on her dress. She looked down to find Roxas with a mouthful of her skirt, looking up at her as if pleading for his reward. She smiled and petted him on the head. He may be lazy, but he also has his cute moments. Even when he uses them to get the things he wants.

"It'll be done in a moment. I just have to put it in the oven," she chuckled as he scowled. He was impatient for the apple pie and didn't fancy the thought of waiting another minute. Then he snorted, knowing that he'll have to wait more. He walked back over to his cushion, plopping down on it.

"You know, I think Larxene was right. Maybe you do need to go on a diet. Perhaps, this will be the last time you'll be having that apple pie," she teased as he lifted his head, his eyes wide in fear of the thought of his last apple pie. Then he saw the mirth in her eyes and then glared at her. He huffed, obviously not amused by her taunting.

Naminé giggled as she entered the kitchen and prepared the oven for baking. While it was heating up, she continued to roll out the dough, put it into a shallow pan, added in the apples, the cinnamon, her special ingredient, and other spices. She then put another piece of dough over it. She poked some holes on it and then sprinkled more of her secret ingredient that made her apple pie more special than any other apple pie. Once she thought that the oven was ready, she put the pan in and timed it for about an hour.

About half an hour in, she could smell the sweet smell the dessert gave off. Her mouth watered as the smell wafted throughout the cottage. Then she realized something.

It was noticeably quiet, which she found quite peculiar. Usually, whenever he could smell a hint of the baked goods, Roxas would come bounding in. Then he would sit right by the oven, his tail swishing about as he enthusiastically waited for the moment when it was done. Sometimes he would come running even before Naminé could even smell it.

But she didn't hear anything, not even one peep before she entered the kitchen. Curious, she poked her head out the doorway and saw that he wasn't on his usual spot on the cushion. He wasn't even lounging around outside near the flowerbed, which was his second favorite spot.

Naminé went back into the cottage.

"Roxas!" she called. "The pie is almost ready! I'm sure you could smell it by now! Get over here before I eat it myself!"

He didn't answer. She found it very strange and began searching all and around the cottage, calling for him. She became frightened at the thought that he might have gone and run away.

She shook her head. She knew that he was waiting for the apple pie. He wouldn't just abandon it. He wouldn't. He wouldn't abandon **her**, would he?

Then Naminé realized that there was one place she had yet to search: the basement.

He wouldn't go down there, would he? She tried once to get him to keep her company and to share her passion for potion making when she was making batches upon batches of potions, but he wouldn't even climb down one step. His nose flared, and he snorted, obviously not liking the smells her ingredients gave off. He always refused to go down there, so why would he be there now?

Still, it wouldn't hurt to go and see. It was the last place to search, after all.

So Naminé grabbed the candelabra, lit it up, and slowly climbed down the stairs. The shadows of her workplace danced as she brought the light further down into the abyss of the basement.

"Roxas?" she called. She heard shuffling further back near the bookcases and cupboards and a sound of clinking glass. So he was down here after all! That little rascal, trying to play tricks on her!

Naminé increased her pace down the stairs and walked towards the back.

"Roxas, you'd better not have touched anything. Come back upstairs. The apple pie is already – " she stopped midsentence as the light reached the figure standing before the cupboard that contained her completed potions and stores.

There was a naked man standing before the open cupboard with an empty vial at his feet. She saw some of his messy blond locks swirl around the top of his messy head. He was staring at his hands, inspecting every inch of it. Noticing the light from the candle and her hesitation, his lazy blue eyes turned to meet hers, and she felt stunned.

In her mind, she recognized her familiar's features, his blue eyes, the color of his hair, and the way his eyes seem to speak more than his facial expressions. This was definitely Roxas. But it seemed as if he had transformed into the epitome of an Adonis.

A **naked** Adonis.

A naked Adonis that was standing in the middle of her workplace in his naked glory.

Realizing what he had turned into, she gasped. She rushed over the open cupboard, pushing the naked Roxas to the side as she inspected every vile. She saw the box that contained the potion she completed earlier in the day and counted them. Her heart sank as she counted only 11 of the aquamarine concoction. He drank the human transforming potion!

But why? Why did he drink it? What made him come down here and drink it?

All of these questions swirled in her mind, clouding her thoughts. She didn't see or hear the shuffling of his approaching footsteps and the voice that called out from behind her. That low, husky voice.

"Naminé," he said. It gave her shivers up her spine. She felt his big hands snake around her waist and froze on the spot.

She felt his breath on her hair.

"I smell apple pie," he took a big whiff from her hair. Naminé felt the blood rushing to her face as she became increasingly aware of the close proximity. She was very uncomfortable with the warmth that was spreading from his arms to throughout her body. She didn't even appreciate the knots forming in her stomach.

She got mad. She turned around in his loose embrace and pushed him away with an arm. He staggered back but kept his balance. She stood glaring up at him, who was apparently a head taller than her now. She had one hand grasping the candelabra and the other hand pointing to his chest.

"Why did you drink it?" she asked. "Roxas, _why did you drink the human transformation potion_?"

He looked up, thinking about how to answer. When he looked back into her angry blue eyes, he shrugged and said, "I don't know."

"You. Don't. Know?" she seethed. He noticed the apparent fury in her voice.

"I was curious," he finally revealed, surprised by how angry she was, "I knew that you were making it and wanted to know what I'd be like as a human."

It was a petty excuse, which only made Naminé angrier.

"I don't know what you're so angry about. It was only one potion," he said, oblivious to the growing fury in Naminé's eyes.

"One. Potion," she heaved. "Roxas, you knew. You **knew** that I cherish my potions. I **told** you that every potion is precious to me and that I'm very careful with what I make and who I give it to. Potions aren't something to take just because you were **curious**."

He shrugged. "Well, I guess I forgot," he smirked.

She slapped him, earning a surprised look from him.

Then she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back upstairs, not wanting him anywhere near her potions anymore. When they reached the top of the stairs, she immediately recited a spell that would light up the whole cottage. She set the candelabra down on the table and made Roxas sit down on the floral couch. She looked at him as he held one hand to his cheek, nursing his wound.

"**STAY**. **PUT**," she said with such force. He was still in shock, never seeing her this angry with him.

She stomped over to the kitchen, pacing back and forth as she seethed in anger. She was trying to calm herself down but wasn't succeeding. Just one potion. Just _one potion_? Nevermind the fact that he could speak now, he had the nerve to say that he _forgot_ how much her potions meant to her.

She put her hands on the counter, her shoulders heaving up and down from her fury. She took a big breath and exhaled slowly, her mind becoming calm. Then she sniffed the air and remembered about the apple pie. She walked over to the oven, grabbed oven mitts, and took it out. It was a perfect looking apple pie. Too bad Roxas wasn't going to savor it.

She placed it on the counter to let it cool and shut off the stove. Then she heard shuffling from outside the room.

She turned around to see Roxas peek his head in, looking very eagerly at the pie.

Naminé glared at him. He looked remorseful, but she knew it was an act.

"I'm sorry, Naminé," he apologized. "Please don't be mad. I really am sorry for taking it."

She would have taken the apology if he was more sincere and had not been staring at the apple pie the whole time. So, he was only apologizing so he could get a slice, was he? He was so greedy, so impudent, so…so impossible!

She sighed at his expression. Naminé walked past him, grabbing his arm once again and dragging him back to the living room. He still had his eyes on the pie.

Once she got him to sit down, she walked over to the doorway, grabbed some spare clothes from the closet and threw it at him. When he caught them, Naminé held her hands before her, reciting a spell. She placed a simple barrier on the door that forbade him from leaving. His eyes narrowed, already knowing what she was doing.

"You, Roxas," she said as she stood with her arms folded across her chest, "Are forbidden to leave this room. You will sleep here tonight, and I will decide what to do with you in the morning."

"And the pie?" he asked.

"You will not have any. This is your punishment," she turned around and headed towards the stairs that led up to her room, not feeling up to dinner herself. She heard him growl in the background.

"Goodnight," she said, calling off the spell and plunging the cottage into darkness.

Before she did, she saw him glare at her in return.

She closed the door to her bedroom and slid down the door with her hands over her face. Tears threatened to spill out, but she held them in. He didn't know how much his careless actions affected her. He just didn't know. And the fact that he completely forgot how much her work meant to her had hurt even more.

What's worse is that she could still feel the warmth of his arms around her waist and remember the way his bare form stood in the candlelight. She became confused by this, which only made her angrier.

It was then that Naminé had regretted ever summoning that wolf.

**To Be Continued...**

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Author's Note:

Hey, guys! So...yesterday, I was surprised to find out that I actually had time to finish writing the rest of this after I took my exam (I got an A, by the way! Yay!), but I'm glad that I actually got to post it before the week got more hectic. So this story...yeah. I know the concept is a little similar to "Correspondence with a Demon," but I couldn't help but write it. :3 I was originally going to post it as a oneshot, but since it was too long and there were many details I wanted to include, I decided to make it into a three-chapter story. I say it will be a three chapter story, but I'm contemplating on making it four chapters. Haha.

So after a lot of thinking, I also decided that this was going to be rated M (Oh gosh. My first rated M story!), because there's going to be a lot of...things happening in the upcoming chapters. I don't know if I can do it, so I'm quite nervous about it. Hopefully, I'll be able to pull it off. Haha.

I hope you guys enjoyed this and will stay tuned for the next chapter! I don't have a fixed date for this story, but I'll try and see as I write the next chapter this week.

Please review! I promise I don't bite. ;D


	2. Researching a Potion's Effects

**My Obstinate Familiar**

Chapter 2 – Researching a Potion's Effects

Naminé woke up that morning, groggy and a little grumpy. She hadn't slept well. She kept thinking about what she was going to do about Roxas and was still angry and confused about the entire matter.

She yawned as she stretched and got out of bed. She went right to her morning routine.

When she silently went down the stairs, her eyes were drawn to Roxas' clothed and curled form on the floral couch. His peaceful sleeping face made her annoyed. Well, at least he got a good night's rest, she thought bitterly.

Naminé sighed as she made her way towards the kitchen silently as to not arouse Roxas from his slumber. She paused as he stirred and sighed when he rolled around. She didn't want to have to deal with him this early in the morning.

Naminé started to boil the water for her morning tea. She wasn't that hungry, but she will probably fix herself something later when Roxas woke up. Knowing him, he would be very hungry. It was how her usual morning went, and it surprised her to find that she was able to return to that routine.

While the water was boiling, Naminé tiptoed to the basement and took out one of her potion books to see if there were any side effects or things that she missed. She thought she might have seen something, but at that time it didn't worry her so she skimmed over it.

She went back up the stairs as silent as she could. She went over to the stove and shut it off before it whistled. She didn't like her tea scalding hot but just warm enough to drink. As she let the water mix in with the tea leaves in the pot, she opened the book to the recipe on human transformation potion. She rested her head on her hand as her eyes read each line.

"_The Human Transformation Potion_," it read, "_It is a concoction capable of turning wild or domesticated animals temporarily into humans. It was designed and created by Jonathan Rothbart, who was merely curious as to what an old owl knew of the forest. However, his experiment failed in that the owl answered his questions with his own questions. There are many uses for the potion, one of which could be used to give to an animal who will serve as a temporary servant as long as the animal is willing to stay focused. Its servitude also depends on the bond between the caster and the animal as well as if the animal is wild or domesticated. Although there is a difficult process in making it as some of the ingredients pose a challenge to gather and store, it is a reliable and stable potion with its effects lasting about 48 hours depending on the size of the animal._

"_Once ingested_," it continued, "_the potion enables the animal to do anything within human capabilities. However, due to its design, the mixture also allows the animal to retain some of its primal instincts and behaviors. Although the animal has become on par with human intelligence and is capable of human speech, the animal will not notice the change and will continue living its life as if it were still in its original form. It is suspected that one of the reasons for this was that animals are less intelligent and have a less developed brain, but it is also hypothesized that – _"

This, Naminé already knew. She yawned again, becoming bored with all the theories and facts the book told her. She reached over for the tea pot, checked to see if it was ready, and poured it into her favorite blue swirled teacup. She took a sip, smiling at the aroma and strong flavor. Then she continued to read, taking a few sips here and there.

Then she noticed that one of the pages was folded in half. The next page contained the actual recipe for the potion. She remembered that she folded it to bookmark the page and save it for later. She unfolded it and read the next few lines at the top of the page.

"_On the other hand, it seems as if the effects of the Human Transformation potion do not apply as much to familiars_," Naminé's eyes widened. This was what she was looking for! She continued on.

"_Due to their state and higher form of intelligence than similar, yet common animals, familiars tend to be immediately aware of their transformation and act no differently as humans than when they were in their original forms. Usually, most of the potion absorbed is used to make a common animal intelligent. However, since familiars already show intelligence similar to humans, the time they spend temporarily as a human tend to vary, almost doubling the amount of the time of common animals that also ingested the potion –_"

Naminé spat out her tea as she read those lines. She coughed and scrambled around to quickly clean up the mess she made. She carefully wiped the tea droplets off of the book.

Double? **Double**?

So not only will she have to tolerate two days of her familiar's antics, but there is also a possibility that she might spend four or five days with him? She could barely stand him as a wolf! What was she supposed to do with a humanized familiar?

She turned the page in hopes of finding a cure or a counter for it. Every potion must have a counter, a cure, or an opposite that would lessen the effects. This mishap was due to her carelessness, and she felt responsible to set it right. However, the next paragraph seemed to dim all chances of finding a cure.

"_In addition, any potion or spell used to counter the effects of this potion will be nullified. That is why this potion should be used with caution and careful contemplation. Potion makers who use this should be warned to let it stay away from animals other than the one it was made for, especially from their familiars as the potion exudes an aroma that is quite pleasing to their senses._"

Naminé's heart sank as she read the last line.

"_There is no official written document describing the changes in a familiar who ingests the Human Transformation Potion, but it is advised that if this happens, potion makers should immediately quarantine the familiar and avoid all contact as long as he or she remains human._"

Naminé rested her forehead on the table. Why couldn't she have read the text carefully? Why did she have to fold that page? She was usually very cautious about every single thing she made, and the one time she let her guard down, this had to happen. On top of that, familiars were an enigma in itself. There were few books that posed theories about familiars, their existence, their intelligence, everything. It was a topic that most witches and warlocks do not delve into, because there is a mutual understanding that familiars are important and it is useless to question it.

But if the book says it, Naminé must heed it. There must be a good reason as to why she has to quarantine Roxas. But as she remembered his form in the dim light the night before, she also felt that she needed some space from his human form. Ever since that night, she's been feeling rather dizzy…

So what was she to do? She can't use any spell or potion on Roxas since it won't have any effect, but she couldn't even isolate him in any room. If she barricaded the living room and renew the shield spell every day, it would take a toll on her physically, not to mention that she needed to cross the living room to get to the kitchen. The only solution that Naminé could think of was getting him to wear the restriction collar again. When she was still attending the academy, she made him wear it so that he wouldn't wander off too far and go into a room he wasn't allowed in. The collar gave him a bit of an electrical shock when he disobeyed, and Naminé was hurt that she had to use that method. But it was the only thing she could do to make him obey her.

Perhaps she could tweak it a bit, maybe change the shock option to something less painful.

So she got up and put her teacup in the sink. She left the teapot on the table, just in case she felt like drinking tea later. She went to the closet in the hallway and silently dug through boxes upon boxes to find the collar. Finally, her hand felt the leather strap and the cool metal buckle. She pulled it out and inspected it. It was still in good condition, a little bit worn from when Roxas tried to get it off. She tested it to see if it was still working, receiving a tiny shock in return.

Naminé brought it back to the kitchen and tinkered with it a little bit. Her hand hovered over it as she delved into the spell bindings on a deeper level within the collar and got rid of the shocking feature, replacing it with a magnet one. If he ever got close to the basement, he'll be pulled into the living room. It was like an invisible tether. That should be better. If she had known about this feature before, it could have saved her a lot of suffering at the academy.

She also turned on the feature where the collar will tighten temporarily if she ordered him to do something or if he tried to take it off. That will take care of any unwanted action.

When she was done, she wondered if she could sneak it on him while he was still asleep. Naminé poked her head out of the door only to see him in the same position as last time. Her heart started pounding as she tiptoed up to his sleeping body, the leather collar in her hands.

She stepped on a creaky spot and cursed due to her forgetfulness of that particular spot. She looked over at Roxas, who sighed and continued to sleep. She let out a slow breath, thankful that he's still sleeping. Her hands hovered on either side of his head, carefully slipping the leather strap underneath his neck. She had to be very careful about this and very silent. Naminé knew that Roxas wouldn't want to wear it again, but she had no choice if she wanted him to go back to normal.

She was about to finish slipping the end into the buckle when she felt an arm wrap around her body, quickly making her fall between Roxas and the cushions. All of a sudden, she found herself with her back on the couch and the now awake Roxas over her. He glared at her.

"You're trying to sneak this on me while I was asleep?" he pointed to the half buckled collar. "I'm not going to wear this again!" He tried to yank it off only to have it tighten more. He coughed as he clawed at it. Then he found the buckle and tried to get it off. Apparently, the collar tightens even more if he ever touched the buckle.

He panted, giving up on trying to get it off. Then he put his hands on either side of her head, staring straight into her eyes.

"Get. It. Off," he said angrily with emphasis on each letter.

Naminé shook her head vigorously. Then she put her hands on his chest and tried to push him off of her.

He was faster than her, grabbing her wrists with one hand and pinning them to the arm of the couch. She was shocked to find how strong he became, but she still struggled to get away.

All of a sudden, she felt his breath on her face and took a glance at him. She couldn't help but look at his frustrated expression as he straddled her on the couch with her arms pinned. She flushed as she realized what kind of position they were in.

"Let. Go!" she shouted. His grip on her wrists tightened.

"Not until you get this off," he barked. She glared at him defiantly, fully aware of the heat on her face.

Her heart sank as his eyes scanned over her flushed complexion and noticed something different with the way she was acting. Then he slowly smirked as an idea formed in his head. She was scared to know what he was going to do with her in a position like this.

"Oh, I see what's going on," his eyes glinting with mischief. "I guess that this body of mine is to your liking? Is that what it is, Naminé? Do you like how I look in this form?"

She looked away, ashamed and angry that she had been caught.

"I wonder…," he muttered as his face loomed closer to hers. Her eyes widened as she glanced back at him, frightened of his next action. She closed her eyes and faced away from him.

But that gave him easy access to her neck. She could feel him bring his face over to the side of her head and felt his heavy breath on her neck. She shuddered as she felt him whisper into her ear.

"Naminé," he whispered, giving her goose bumps. She felt lightheaded with all her thoughts flying away. Her struggles started to lessen.

She felt his soft lips on her neck, and her body shivered in response. He kissed up her neck tantalizingly slowly, lighting a fire on each spot that he kissed. Naminé's body sank into the couch, hoping that it would give her a chance to get away. There was warmth spreading in her abdomen, and she didn't like it at all. She didn't like the feeling he was invoking.

He brought her hands up to the collar, shaping her hands over the buckle.

"Naminé," he repeated, his mouth directly over her ear.

Her eyes flew open when she felt her fingers almost slipping the buckle of the collar off and regained her senses. She mustered up all the strength she had and shoved him into a corner, making him fall over on the other side of the couch. She fell onto the floor. Then she stumbled and hastily crawled away, trying to exit the room. The incantations for the spell started to form in her head.

But his reflexes were much faster.

He grabbed her ankle, making her fall onto her stomach. Then he dragged her back to him, her dress hitching up dangerously high. She clawed at the floor but to no avail. When she was directly underneath him, he put his hands on either sides of her head and stared down at her with clouded eyes just as she stared back up at him with frightful eyes. The human Roxas was much stronger than she was.

"S-stop," she stuttered, "Stop it, Roxas."

She saw the collar tighten a little around his throat, but it wasn't enough to stop him in his tracks. The darn thing must've been more worn out than she initially thought.

He lowered his face to hers, his warm breath fanning her face. She closed her eyes and looked away. She couldn't believe that her one mistake brought this upon her. She didn't want this. She didn't deserve this. All she did was be studious and try to help everyone with what she could do. But whatever she did to incur the wrath of the gods must have been very bad.

When she felt no change, she peeked back up at him and saw that he just stared at her blankly. Then he sighed and rose to his feet, sitting back on the couch. He huffed as he crossed his arms and stared at the blank wall.

Naminé sat up and continued to stare at him.

She quietly pulled her dress down, stood up, and started to back away, but his head half turned towards her. Her eyes locked with his as he stared at her from the corner of his eye. She stood very still, paralyzed by the gaze he held.

Then he suddenly stood and walked towards her. She crossed her arms in defense, but he just walked past her. He stopped when he was directly at her side.

"If you want to do it this way, then fine. I told you that I didn't want to wear it again. I swear that I will get this damn thing off, and when I do, you'll be sorry," he said quietly as he jammed his hands into the pockets of his pants and strode out the front door. Naminé knew that he must've gone to sit by the flowerbeds.

Naminé swayed and made her way to the kitchen. She went straight to the cupboard and tried to get another tea cup. She felt that she had to have another cup of tea. But her shaking hands lost its grip on the cup, which shattered on the floor. Naminé looked at it before resting her hands on the counter and gazing at the glorious day outside the window. She wished that it would share its happiness with her.

She sighed and raked her hand through her hair.

This was going to be a **very** long four or five days.

Later on, when Naminé was able to calm down and gather herself, she wrote a letter to her professor from the Academy who was also her uncle. She needed help, and Uncle Ansem was the only one she could think of who could give her advice. He should know what to do. After all, he was the one who gave her the book that contained the recipe for the potion.

She explained the whole situation as calmly as she could, trying not to show any panic in her words or even in her handwriting. Her hands were still shaking, but not as much as before. She was careful when describing the events of that morning. If there was anything that Uncle Ansem didn't like, it was insignificant details. He would rather ask for details about what went wrong with the potion and how careless she had been than a play by play of the rough-and-tumble the two had just an hour ago.

When she was done, she folded it up into a paper airplane and cast a small spell on it just in case the letter falls into anyone else's hands. The last thing she needed was for some outsider to find out about her predicament. Then she cast another spell on it to make it fly directly to her teacher. She opened the window above the sink and threw it. She watched it fly into the distance until it disappeared.

Sending out the letter gave her relief to no end, but she hoped that her teacher had some form of advice for her. She really did.

After cleaning up the shattered remains of the tea cup, she brought out another cup and downed her tea. Deciding that she was not hungry after all, she went straight to the basement to bury herself in work. She was backed up on orders, and she needed to finish them. Naminé thought this was a good opportunity to be productive, not to mention to get her mind off of a certain blonde boy that was driving her crazy.

She took a step down into the basement, before realizing that she forgot to bring a candlestick with her. When she got it and quickly lit it, she descended into the basement. She looked around, feeling as if she hadn't come down there in ages when it was only last night that she had been there. Her hand lightly traced the edge of her clean cauldron, and her nose was filled with the smells of spices and ingredients. She gathered up her spirits and clenched her fists before her, determined to get to work right away.

She brought out the list of orders she kept nearby as well as the stack of books that contained the recipes for each order. She also set aside the ingredients for each order and mentally planned which ones she should do first. Most of them were all easy potions that shouldn't take too long to brew. She had about four orders of potions that would reduce fevers, two orders for sneezing, one order for snoring, and a unique order that involved keeping vermin away from the garbage. Naminé decided that the vermin-away potion would be first.

As she prepared each one, she felt her heart swell – as it usually did – for each potion. She loved making potions and enjoyed it thoroughly, almost as much as seeing the product help her customers. She let her mind concentrate to the fullest on the task before her.

As she was halfway through her last order, Naminé lost track of time, like she always did whenever she was in the basement. What brought her to her senses were the clattering and the shattering of a plate. Her eyes narrowed in irritation from being disturbed when she was getting to a good part of the recipe. She looked to the bright orange concoction before deciding that it would be okay to let it sit for a few minutes.

She went upstairs, her eyes squinting at the afternoon sunlight. She must've been down there for hours. Perhaps she should invest in a clock for her workroom. She heard some shuffling in the kitchen.

"Roxas?" she called out. Hm. Déjà vu. She just did this yesterday, too.

When she heard the drawer slam, she walked faster towards the kitchen. He had better not be near her tea set! She had received those as a birthday gift from Kairi. She already broke one and didn't want to break any more.

She halted in her tracks as she saw Roxas' reaching for the untouched apple pie that she wrapped and stowed away in a cupboard. His hand hovered over it as his wide eyes told her that he had just been caught red-handed. He knew that he wasn't supposed to eat any without her permission, and yet he dared to disobey. Naminé felt like she shouldn't be surprised, but as always she got very irritated with him.

She clenched her hands as she glared at him.

"Back away," she ordered. His eyes narrowed defiantly. "Back away **now**," she repeated with more force. His collar tightened suddenly, leaving him gasping for air. He took a few steps back, and his collar loosened. He panted from exertion, his eyes glaring at her.

Hm. Maybe the collar wasn't as defective as she thought.

She crossed the room, reached up to get the apple pie and took a few steps back from him. All the while, he looked at the treat as if he wanted water on a hot day. She scowled but then smiled slowly, an idea forming into her head. Roxas looked at her suspiciously.

Her eyes flicked towards the seat at the table.

"Sit," she ordered. His eyes narrowed, wondering what she was plotting before walking over to the seat and plopping down on it. Meanwhile, Naminé grabbed a fork from a drawer and took a seat directly across from him.

"Would you like some apple pie, Roxas?" she said a little too sweetly. He raised an eyebrow. He wasn't stupid. He knew something was going on in her head but couldn't guess at it.

She brought the apple pie close to her nose, taking a long whiff. "Mm. Smells good, doesn't it?" she said as she held it out for him to smell. His head came close enough to sniff it, but Naminé didn't give him a second for the smell the reach his nose. She quickly brought it back.

"What's that?" she asked, even though she didn't hear anything. "You don't want any of this scrumptious pie that I so meticulously made last night? Oh well," she shrugged as she lifted the cover and raised her fork. "I guess there's just more for me."

She stabbed the pie and brought a piece of it to her mouth. Even though it was a few hours old, it still tasted quite delicious. She made sure to show Roxas how delicious it was by taking each bite tantalizingly slowly. When she did, she saw Roxas squirm uncomfortably. She saw him stand up, but she growled.

"Sit down," she ordered, "Don't you dare move from that spot until I'm done."

So she made him watch her eat. With every bite, his eyes showed guilt and regret for disobeying her. He also showed disbelief at what she was doing. She never done anything like this before. The fact that she was doing this now seemed like he did something very wrong. It was torture for him, she knew. But at the same time, she had to show him that she can't be bossed around by her familiar. It doesn't work that way, and she had to show him that she's the leader.

Her stomach was soon filled with the sweet pie, and she felt like gagging from eating too much of it. She already finished half the pie and didn't feel like eating any more. She was wondering what to do with it and looked up at Roxas, who hoped that she would give him the leftovers.

Tough chance of that, she thought.

After taking a last big bite, she strode over to the garbage can and watched Roxas as his eyes widened in shock and in sadness as he watched the half-eaten pie be slowly scraped off the pan and into the garbage. She turned around and put the pan in the sink, smiling triumphantly while chewing. That should show him that he can't mess around with her.

But as she turned around, she found herself staring at Roxas' chest. He put his hands on the counter and trapped her. She cursed as she realized that her previous order was finished, allowing him to move around as he pleased until she issued next order.

"Move aside," she said as she glared at him. She took a hold of his wrist and tried to pry his hand from the counter, but his strong grip on it wouldn't let her. "Roxas, **move**," she repeated.

She saw the collar tighten again, but it chose now of all times to malfunction. It only tightened a little, giving Roxas this chance to close the space between them.

Naminé's lower back hit the edge of the counter just as Roxas finally closed the gap. His eyes smoldered hers as his face loomed closer. Naminé sank back but couldn't go far. That's when his lips touched hers.

In shock, Naminé stood very still. His lips searched hers, his tongue trying to pry her mouth open. When he couldn't, his hand snaked to the back of her head, making it tilt back. When he pulled on her hair, she gasped, and his mouth took over. His tongue searched her mouth and found the last bite of pie she half-chewed. Then he took some of it and brought it back to his mouth.

He let go of her and backed away, wiping the drool from his lips. Naminé didn't know if that was his or hers, but she didn't want to find out.

"Interesting," he smirked after he swallowed. His expression showed that he knew something she didn't. Then he took that time to walk out of the kitchen, leaving a shocked Naminé at the counter.

What…was that…?

What was **that**?

What just happened? Her mind raced. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed on the floor with her hand over her heart. Her face felt hot, and she felt so…so…

Did he just kiss her? Did he just kiss her **while shoving the half-chewed apple pie from her mouth to his**? Was that technically French kissing?

Naminé banged a fist on the counter, angry that she let this happen. How could this have happened? Why was that damn collar malfunctioning at the worst of times? She had better find a way to fix this or else something more will be at stake.

Just then, something white fluttered in and landed in front of her. It was a paper bird, a reply from her mentor and uncle. Naminé opened it hastily with shaking hands, trying to calm herself down and to read the words of advice her uncle had written.

"_Dear Naminé_," it said.

"_While it gives me pride to know that one of my best pupils and favorite niece had completed the Human Transformation potion with success, it also disappoints me to find out that you had not taken the necessary precautions to prevent this kind of event. I can only blame myself since it was I who gave you the book as a present. However, many things could be taken into factor such as the bottling process, the clean-up, or even the fact that you had forgotten to ward off the potion and secure it with alarms_," Naminé winced as she read it. He was definitely angry, that was sure. And he was right. She _should have_ safely secured the potion. She mentally made a note for herself to do that when she was done reading.

"_However, now that it has happened, there is nothing to do but to fix this mishap. Now, I am aware that your book says that all counter potions are useless, so there's nothing to do but to wait it out. I am also aware that even though your book says to isolate your familiar and not make any contact with him, it does not go into detail about it. From my understanding, since your familiar is now human and it is springtime, he will feel certain urges and needs that he will come to you to relieve. Now, my dear niece, this is a natural feeling amongst animals, and you must be very careful around your familiar. I urge you to not do anything that might provoke him or make him respond…sexually to you. If you do, I assure you that it will leave you in a most awkward and delicate situation. Hopefully this letter will reach you before anything happens, but if it doesn't, my next advice to you would be to resist all his charms and temptations. He is a familiar, not a man, and should be treated as such. You must remember this, Naminé, if you are to get through this._

_With love and sympathy for your current state,_

_Ansem_"

Naminé read the last paragraph over and over again until her heart sank in terror. Finally, her legs caved from underneath her, making her sit on the cold floor. Her hands flew to her face.

_Oh, Uncle_, she thought as she shook her head fervently, _it's already too late. Something already happened._

Something already happened, and Naminé was sure that she won't be able to stay strong until the end of these four days.

From the smell that wafted into the kitchen, Naminé was also sure that she had waited too long, and the potion she was working on was currently burning in her basement.

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Hello, everyone! Sorry for the delay! To make up for it, I wrote a long chapter. :) Hope it was to your liking.

So, I mentioned this in my other story "Correspondence with a Demon," but I'll say it here, too. It was my birthday yesterday (May 6). I also said that I promised to update that story and this story on the day of my birthday, but I ran into some complications. My computer decided to crash that day, delaying me for a day. But it's okay. I fortunately managed to save most of my files in an external harddrive, so I didn't lose a lot. :) Imagine? If I lost this chapter, I would have cried. Really. And in the beginning of the week, I got sick for three days, but I got bored and worked on this story. All my work and sick time would have been lost.

Anyways, thank you for being patient with this story! I know I haven't been updating it as much as I should, but I promise to be better about it! Thank you for taking the time to read this. Special thanks to those who reviewed: **raniza**, **Typewrite**, **NO-LONGER-IN-USE 1235678**, **metallicababy55** (I'm sorry! I told you that the potion lasted for two days, but I couldn't help but extend it!), **jellybeanmania**, **darkteaparty**, **Aquamarinegirl1**, **VIII**, **Emperor Xirchs**, **akemithebazookagirl**, **TheShadowedKissedAngel**, **"The anonymous person without a screenname"** (No, seriously. There wasn't a screenname at all. Please give me a name so I can properly thank you next time!), **NeverGirl**, **Tsuraya-chan**.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	3. Resisting a Familiar's Charms

**My Obstinate Familiar**

Chapter 3 – Resisting a Familiar's Charms

Naminé stared at the door leading towards the stairs as she was sitting on her bed in her nightgown with her knees to her chest. She was still angry at herself for letting all of that happen.

Last night, she tried to make herself feel better about her situation by going straight to bed after about two hours of cleaning out her pot. Because she let her potion burn, most of the gunk had stuck to the walls of the cauldron, making it unsalvageable. Now she had to buy a new one. Because she didn't even own a spare cauldron, her workload would most definitely pile up. In addition, the good cauldron shops are miles away from her present location, even by broom. Their cauldrons are also quite pricey.

_It's all his fault_, she thought as she sent mental daggers at him. Her eyes drooped, and she started to nod off.

She was very exhausted. She couldn't sleep knowing that there was a possibility that Roxas would attack her while she was sleeping. She didn't see a sign of him during or even after the cleanup, and she was glad because she knew that she would've done something drastic. She knew that he wouldn't normally attack her in her sleep, but after yesterday's fiasco and her uncle's letter, she should be careful with what she does from now on. Even though she put alarms and a barrier on the door, she still felt restless.

Naminé blinked and stared at the morning sunlight sifting in through her window. It was already early morning, and she could hear the birds chirping for their breakfast. She stifled a yawn and plopped back into bed. She closed her eyes and tried to get at least an hour or two of sleep, but it felt like her body wouldn't comply. After resting for fifteen minutes, she sighed frustratingly and stood up, deciding that she might as well get started on the pile of chores now that she can't brew anything.

_It's only day two_, she thought, consoling herself. _There's only two whole days left. I just have to pull myself together and keep away from him_.

After she changed into her usual attire, she smoothed out her white dress and walked slowly towards the door. She nervously took down the barrier and disabled the alarms. Then she hesitated, her hand pausing over the doorknob. If she had the choice, she would just stay inside all day and wait for the next two days to pass so that she would be able to get past this situation. But her stomach wouldn't allow that. It grumbled, telling her that it demanded to be fed. She glared at her belly, wondering why of all days it had to demand breakfast. Usually, she would only have tea and be satisfied with that until lunchtime, but the fact that she went to bed with only the apple pie to digest could've made her stomach demand for other sustenance.

Naminé sighed and braced herself, expecting to see Roxas either sleeping or just waking up. She didn't cast a barrier in the living room like she did the first time, but since it was Roxas, he would most likely be sleeping in the living room like he always has.

She tiptoed as quietly as she could down the stairs, slowly taking each step. She hoped that he would still be sleeping, snoring away all of his concerns if he had any.

But to her surprise, when she reached the bottom of the stairs, she found that the couch was empty. The blanket was sitting messily on the couch, suggesting that Roxas had slept there last night. There was an empty glass on the coffee table that probably contained water at some point.

Naminé panicked and looked around, carefully watching for any signs that her familiar might appear out of thin air. Where was he? How come he wasn't sleeping at this time?

Roxas never woke up on time.

He never woke up early either.

So why was he awake? Naminé had no idea.

Because of this, Naminé became tenser and more cautious. She grabbed the nearest object – which happened to be a cane with its head in the shape of an owl – and would use it as a weapon just in case her familiar decided to sneak up on her. She slowly crept into the living room and looked in every corner and in every hiding space. When she found it empty, she continued on to the kitchen, which also proved to be empty.

She lowered her weapon and let out a long breath that she didn't know she was holding. However, this only made her more suspicious. If he wasn't in the house, then he must be outside.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, Naminé heard rustlings coming from the front of the cottage. She quickly hid behind the entrance of the kitchen and held the cane close to her chest.

She heard his footsteps come closer. He paused for a second in the living room and then started to approach the kitchen entrance. Naminé braced herself.

Roxas walked in with the empty glass in his hand and a smudge of dirt on his cheek. His blue eyes immediately noticed Naminé and then traveled down to the cane she held onto for dear life.

Then, of all the oddest things, he chuckled.

Then he walked towards the sink, filled his glass, and drank the whole thing. Naminé watched him take each gulp with a cautious gaze.

He turned around suddenly, startling her. He held his gaze with her for a few minutes. Then he leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms. He raised an eyebrow as he studied her tense form.

"Do you honestly think that that cane will protect you?" he asked.

She answered his question with a glare. He laughed.

"Or do you think I will attack you?"

Her glare deepened, which only made his grin grow.

"You listen here, Roxas," Naminé said, trying to make her voice as stern and even as possible, "You be a good familiar and do what I tell you. Don't come near me for the next two to three days, okay? Just stay away."

He pushed himself from the counter and took a step towards her.

"And if I don't? Maybe it's more fun to tease you this way," his smile challenged her authority. Her eyes went down to the collar around his neck.

"Then I will issue an order, and you're collar will be set to shock mode again," she said, her confidence rising.

"Sure, sure," he waved it off, "You can try that. I doubt that will do anything though."

He walked away with his hands in his pockets. Naminé followed him out.

"And what do you mean by that?" she asked. She did not like it when he acted this way, the way that he knew something that she didn't and was proud of it. When he was still a wolf, he'd given her that smug look with the same attitude, and it always annoyed her to no end.

"Roxas, don't you walk away while I'm talking to you. I order you to stop and face me right now!" she yelled. She didn't care if she was in danger of being in his presence. The fact that he felt superior over the knowledge that he possessed was getting on her nerves. She was his master, for Merlin's sake! She ought to knock him down off his high horse and put him in his place once and for all.

He paused midway through the doorway of the living room and slowly turned towards her. He studied her features for a few minutes and then looked up and down. Then he leaned against the door frame and chuckled.

"What?" she asked, her temper rising.

His smirk grew, and his eyes told her that he was enjoying seeing her annoyed.

"What?" she repeated impatiently, her voice rising. He shrugged.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just funny," he replied.

She held the cane tighter. "And **what** may I ask is funny?" she demanded.

All of a sudden, he took long strides towards her, making her back up against the wall once again. This time, his body was closer to hers, his hands on either side of her head. He looked down at her with smoldering eyes that made Naminé's stomach leap to her heart. Her breath hitched as she realized that she was stuck in this position _yet again_.

She tried to hit him with the cane, but he caught it with one hand. Then he yanked it out of her grasp and threw it to the side where it landed on the floor a few feet from them. Her eyes searched for it and saw it under the coffee table.

She looked away only to have his hand grab her chin, forcing her to face him. It also made her stare deeply into his eyes. His warm breath fanned her face, and she could smell the scent of the various flowers that grew in their garden. Her mind went blank.

A chill went down her spine as Roxas' head dipped, his warm breath tickling her ear.

"It's funny, my dear witch," he whispered, "Because this current form of mine disturbs you. I can tell that it distracts you, and from the way you're acting, you're fighting with yourself."

"Shut up, Roxas. This isn't funny," she said. Deep down, she felt a panic rise up at seeing herself in the same predicament as last night, but somehow she managed to keep her voice calm and firm. "Unhand me or so help me, I will turn on that shock mode."

"You see, that's another funny thing," he said. "I also know that you're bluffing about the shock mode. You're not the kind of girl to do that to an animal, much less her _familiar_."

She shuddered as his lips connected with the back of her ear. He gave it a short lick, which made her shiver. Her face grew hot, and she was having a hard time concentrating.

"You may have once set the collar to that mode, but I remember that it hurt you every time that it shocked me," he continued as he traveled down to her neck. His lips hovered over her skin. "I know you don't like it as much as I do. I also know that you swore never to use that mode again, I can see it in your eyes."

"Stop this right now. This isn't right, Roxas," she stammered. Her panic was starting to show. She felt him grin against her neck as he traveled lower and gave her collar bone a kiss. "Stop!" she ordered.

His mouth was next to her ear again.

"You see, that's the thing, Naminé. You issue an order, and the collar usually responds, right? Well, it just so happens that it only obeys your order if that is what you actually want," Roxas explained. His nose trailed the outside of her ear, gathering in her scent.

"W-what did you say?" She didn't understand what he was saying. His actions made it very hard for her to think. He knew this, and he grinned wider.

"I said that you have to _mean it_ for the collar to respond," Roxas said. "Otherwise, it's just telling me that you're enjoying this."

"That's not true," she said, her voice shaking. She put her hands on his chest and tried to shove him away. "That's not true! Get off of me!"

He took her hands in his, keeping them in place. "I can hear your heartbeat, Naminé, and it's beating really fast. I can feel your body heating up, and your face is becoming quite red. I can smell something from you, and it's a scent that I've picked up from around humans in heat."

Naminé shook her head vigorously. "Shut up!" she shouted, her legs growing weak. "Stop it! I don't want to hear anymore!"

"Even from the time I walked in, your scent changed," he continued without regard to her plea, "You're expression became tense as if you were expecting something, and your eyes told me that you were fighting an inner demon inside you. So tell me, Naminé," he took his mouth away from her ear and looked at her square in the face. "What is it that you want?"

"No," she said weakly. She closed her eyes so that she wouldn't look at his stunning blue eyes anymore, but even when she did, she could still see them.

"Say it, Naminé," Roxas urged her. "What is it you _truly _want? What are you trying to fight?"

"I…" she began to say.

"Yes?"

"I…"

"Naminé! Are you home?" a voice called out in the distance.

That voice was as if someone poured a cold bucket of water over her. Instantaneously, Naminé regained her senses, and her mind began to clear. Roxas' eyes darted to the door, breaking eye contact with her.

As she realized what kind of position she and Roxas were in, she tried to pry her hands from his only to have his grip tighten. She glared at him and shook out of his grasp. Then she shoved him back, which caught him off guard and made him stumble.

"Naminé! I need your help! Something went horribly wrong!" It was Larxene.

Naminé put a hand over her heart to steady her heartbeat and inhaled and exhaled a few times. Then she slapped her cheeks, trying to focus. Once she was ready, she took a few steps to the door without so much a glance at Roxas and greeted her friend.

"Larxene," Naminé smiled. She hoped that her friend didn't notice how uneasy it was. "What can I do for you?"

The look on her friend's face made her forget about what just happened in the cottage with her familiar. Larxene looked troubled. No, it was more than that. She looked desperate.

"What happened? Did the potion not work?" Naminé asked, putting her hands on the blonde's shoulders. Larxene shook her head.

"No, no. The potion worked as you said it would," she said.

"I don't understand," Naminé tilted her head. "Then what's the problem?"

"I put the potion in my cat's food and gave it to him like I always do, but when he was about to eat it, that stupid dog came running in and snatched it away!" Larxene cried out. "I never did like that dog. He was always bullying my cat, taking food from the storage room, and always leaving such a mess. I've been telling Axel for years to get rid of it."

"Larxene, what happened to Coco?" Naminé asked, her voice urgent. Coco had a nasty reputation for causing mayhem in his wake. He was also quite famous in town. If he was human, he would most likely do ten times the damage.

"He ate my cat's food and turned into a human. I was lucky to catch the darn thing and tie him up. I hid him in the storage room before Axel and the kids woke up, and ss soon as they left, I came here. Hopefully, that stupid mongrel won't eat anything while I'm gone."

Naminé sighed in relief. Leave it to Larxene to act quickly. Hiding him was the best idea. But right now, she had to come up with a solution to the problem. She had to come up with an idea of how to keep the dog hidden as well as to solve Larxene's problem with Axel.

"Naminé, who is that, standing in your doorway?" Larxene whispered.

Suddenly, Naminé came up with a brilliant idea.

_Of course_, she thought.

Naminé walked up to Roxas and grabbed his arm. The look of surprise on his face was amusing, but right now, she had to focus on the matter at hand. She dragged him over to Larxene.

"Larxene, this is Roxas."

Her friend's eyebrows shot up to her hairline.

"_Roxas_? As in Roxas, your _familiar_?" she said in disbelief.

"Yes, yes, I know this is a little shocking."

"I wouldn't call this 'a little,' Naminé," Larxene said.

"Okay, so this is really shocking. Roxas also drank the potion, and now he's stuck like this for a few days. What I'm thinking is that we could switch dogs. Roxas could spy on Axel for you and give you feedback, and I could watch over Coco so that he's out of the way. Once they both turn back, we can switch," Naminé explained.

Larxene's expression lightened, hope in her eyes.

"What do you mean 'dog'? I am a _wolf_," Roxas scoffed. "And who says I'm going? Maybe I object to this."

"_You_ do not get an opinion on this," Naminé retorted, which earned a defiant glare from him.

"I actually like this idea," Larxene said. "Besides, I don't think my cat would've been too smart to carry out orders anyway. Roxas is at least more intelligent."

"What do you mean by 'at least'?"

Meanwhile, Naminé took her hand off his arm and faced him. She mustered up all the strength she could gather. When she was ready, she looked at him with the most serious face she could make.

"Roxas," she said, grabbing his attention, "I order you carry out Larxene's mission instead of her cat. You will follow Axel every day in order to find out whether or not he is having an affair. At the end of the day, you will report to Larxene and give her a full report. Do not come back unless this mission is fulfilled. Do you understand me?"

"Actually, if it's all right with you, he can spend nights in my guest room," her friend suggested.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want him to be trouble for you," Naminé said.

"It's all right. You've done more than enough for me, and I can make sure he doesn't go on a rampage throughout the village. I'll just make up some story that he's a distant cousin trying to find a job around this area," Larxene smiled.

Naminé nodded. "You heard her. You will spend the nights at Larxene's house, but I do not want to hear that you've misbehaved. You are also forbidden to tell anyone about this mission. Is that clear?"

Roxas scowled as he averted his gaze.

"Roxas, is that clear?" she repeated, her volume rising. She was pleased to see the collar tighten.

"Yes," Roxas spat, obviously not liking how things turned out. "It came out _very clear_, Master."

"Good," Naminé smiled. She walked around to his back and shoved him forward. "Then get going."

Larxene came up to the young witch and hugged her. "Thank you so much, Naminé. I'll make sure to come back with Coco. Hopefully, he won't be too much trouble for you."

"On the contrary, I've been thinking that he needs some discipline. Maybe I'll train him during the time he's human. I've got time since my cauldron melted."

"I'm sorry to hear about that. But if you do manage to tame him, I will get you something worth your time," Larxene said.

Naminé waved it off. "That's all right. Now get going before Coco gets loose!"

As soon as their forms could no longer be seen, Naminé headed back into the cottage feeling elated. She just got rid of Roxas for a few days! That means that she could focus on other things now instead of worrying about what he would do.

At the top of her head, Naminé made a list of things she would do for the next few days without a familiar and without any distractions. She would make sure to discipline Coco thoroughly so that he wouldn't give anyone any more trouble. She could go check out that famous cauldron shop a few miles away and possibly buy some rare ingredients. She could also finally visit her friend Kairi who's been asking her when she would visit.

There were so many things she could do now that she didn't have to worry about Roxas. It made her realize, however, that there were many things that she couldn't do _because_ Roxas was either too lazy to move or she was worried about what he might do while she was gone. But now that he was temporarily under someone else's care, she could do all the things she wanted to do!

Naminé grinned as she threw her hands in the air in excitement.

For the next few days, she wouldn't have to worry about all the advances Roxas would make. Better yet, this distance that she set between them would surely stop all these "urges" Uncle Ansem was talking about.

And when this was all over, he would turn back into a wolf, and everything will be back to normal.

Then all the weird feelings he was evoking in her would finally come to an end.

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I feel like I'm writing something taboo whenever it comes to this story. XD Anyways, sorry for the delay. "Correspondence with a Demon" had been taking up a huge chunk of my time, and truth be told, I didn't have a lot of motivation in writing this chapter. But you know what? After rereading all the reviews I've gotten, I had this surge of motivation to finish the chapter, and I did. So I have all of you to thank. :) And it's been...holy moly. It's been 3 months since my last update? Wow. I didn't think realize that it was _that _long. I am so sorry for making you guys wait! I promise to be better in the future.

Anyways, there's something that I wanted to point out in this chapter. "Why didn't Naminé bring her wand?" She forgot. XD She was also exhausted so her mind wasn't functioning normally. So that's my explanation for that. I tend to forget things when I'm tired, too. And I'm sure it has happened to you folks out there as well, right?

There are a few people I have to thank that have been waiting so patiently and have given me that huge surge of motivation that I needed to finish this chapter. So I'd like to thank: **akemithebazookagirl**, **NeverGirl**, **Nime00**, **Draco Oblivion**, **rikku247**, **MsEvilbabe**, **Q-A the Authoress**, **metallicababy55**, **GummyDrive**, **Emperor Xirchs**, **TheDormantOne**, **VIII**, **Aquamarinegirl1**, **TheShadowedKissedAngel**, **Pilpols**, **bloodrose123**, **nine-taileddemonfox1597**, **Polymoly**, **White Simplicity**, and **stephenkingawsomeness**. You guys are too awesome for words. I should make it a habit to reread my reviews from you guys so that I could get motivation. Maybe it'll help me finish writing chapters. Haha.

Thanks for reading! See you in the next chapter!


	4. Fulfilling the Master's Command

**My Obstinate Familiar**

Chapter 4 – Fulfilling the Master's Command

Roxas was beyond pissed. He was downright angry.

_How dare she! _He thought. Just when it was getting interesting, Larxene just _had_ to show up and ruin the whole thing. Who cares whether her husband was cheating on her or not? If she had more guts to confront him, then it wouldn't have turned out like this. She should have just dealt with the whole matter herself!

_Women!_ Roxas mentally threw his hands up in the air. _Always making things more complicated than necessary!_

And then there was his _master_. Or rather, his _mistress_.

First, it was the damn collar, and now it is this silly "mission" that she's forced upon him. He knew there were other possible options she could've used to solve this problem, but she chose to send him away. In the end, she ran away from her problems like a coward. She hasn't changed one bit since she summoned him. She's always running away from something whether it was a dinner invitation from a possible suitor or an offer for a prestigious position at a well-known instituation. If she had the will, she could have been living a life of luxury – which of course also applied to him, being her familiar and all. But she opted out for a simpler, more modest life. Roxas knew that she constantly underestimates herself and knew that she could do anything if she put enough effort into it. Anyone could see that she had the talent! Everyone saw it! Except for her.

Besides, she should have known that he was only teasing her! The faces she makes whenever he walked into the room were so amusing! How could he not have fun with making her uncomfortable? She clearly didn't see anything amusing by it, but he thought it was downright entertaining. She should have at least seen things through his perspective. All he does at home is lay around, sleep, eat, take long walks, and do whatever he liked. It wasn't that he was complaining about this lifestyle, but it gets boring pretty quickly if he's doing the same thing over and over again. Every day was so boring, and his only entertainment was to tease his mistress. Then this opportunity shows up, and he went with the flow, thinking that this could be his chance to make things more interesting.

As he brooded, he silently followed Larxene into town while giving glares at anyone who stared even at the giggling girls who whispered to each other about how good looking he is. Normally, he would have found this amusing and would have played along but not right now. He was not in the mood for this at all. He merely glared at them, and they shrank back, averting their gaze. Some, however, giggled even more.

When they reached Larxene's house, she turned around with her hands on her hips.

"Listen, Roxas, I know that you're still the self-centered, disobedient familiar you're known as, so I'll make it clear: if you _ever_ tell my husband about this whole situation or if he ever finds out about it, you will be very sorry you became a human. Understand?" The intimidating look she gave did not faze him one bit. He shrugged in response and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I said: do you understand me?" she repeated. The collar tightened a bit, not quite cutting off his air supply, but it did make him uncomfortable. Leave it to the mistress to pass on authority to _this_ woman.

"All right! Yes, I understand!" he spat out. The collar loosened.

Larxene smiled ruefully. Roxas glared at her, but she was unfazed by it.

"Very good," she said. She went inside the house and then came right back out with a bundle wrapped in a handkerchief. According to Roxas' keen sense of smell, it was food. "Now, we're going to blacksmith, because Axel forgot his lunch. I would have let you take it to him by yourself, but quite frankly, I don't really trust you to go straight there."

Roxas opened his mouth to retort, but he closed it once Larxene gave him a pointed look. "When we get there, I'll tell him that you're my nephew who ran away from home because you had a fight with your mother, all right?"

"Whatever," he replied, kicking dirt.

"Good. Leave all the instructions to me, but I'm counting on you to get all the information out of him. You do this, and I'll tell Naminé how good of a job you did. Maybe she'll make you a whole apple pie to yourself. All right? Now let's go."

By the time they arrived at the place where Axel worked, Axel and his mentor were sitting outside, taking a break. They were both covered in dirt and grime. It was fitting since both of them were blacksmiths. They laughed out loud at some joke Axel made and then spotted Larxene and Roxas in the distance. Axel raised his hand and waved to greet his wife, but then he stopped midway once he caught sight of Roxas. He stood up and approached them.

As he came closer, Roxas' nose wrinkled in disgust. Not only was he dirty, but he also smelled.

"Hey, Larxene," he nodded to her. "What brings you here?"

"Forgot your lunch, stupid," she grinned. He grinned back as he leaned over her to give her a kiss, but Larxene blocked it by shoving the bundle of food in his face. She gave him a sly grin as he chuckled and took the bundle from her hands. Then he swiftly swooped down to steal a kiss, which took Larxene by surprise. Her cheeks became slightly pink.

Axel turned to take a good look at Roxas.

"Who's this?"

"He's my nephew," Larxene explained, her cheeks still pink. "He had a fight with his mother and will be staying with us for a few days so that both of them can cool off."

Axel studied him, staring him down. Roxas stared back, not caring whether the redhead was trying to intimidate him or not.

"I don't remember your sister ever having a kid," he said, trying to decide whether or not the blonde looked friendly enough. Roxas vaguely remembered from Larxene and Naminé's conversations that the in-laws did not exactly approve of Axel.

"He's my distant relative's son," Larxene quickly added.

"What's your name, kid?" Axel said with his hands on hips. His eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Roxas took a quick subtle glance at Larxene, who looked at him slightly alarmed. He knew that if he used his real name, people would get suspicious and then put two and two together. Then the whole plan would be ruined. It's a good thing that Roxas was not one of those halfwit ordinary familiars. His nose wrinkled in disgust at the thought of it.

"Ventus," Roxas replied, pulling the first name from the top of his head. Ventus was actually the name of his older brother, but they didn't have to know that.

"Ven, then," Axel grinned, dropping the whole "intimidation" act. He stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Roxas shook his hand. "Thanks for letting me stay." He might as well get brownie points for being polite. It can't hurt to be nice to the host.

The mentor shouted something towards Axel, making him turn to answer. As he did that, Roxas wiped the grime from his hands on the back of his pants. It went unnoticed by Axel.

"Hey, you know what? Since Ventus is going to be staying with us for a while, you should give him a tour of the town," Larxene suggested. When Axel faced her, Roxas shot her a glare, letting her know that he didn't appreciate her suggestion. She took one look at him and then smiled at her husband.

"Yeah! That's a great idea," Axel agreed. He lifted his hand and slapped Roxas' back, leaving a black handprint on his white shirt. Roxas glowered. "Not that lounging around at home is a bad idea, but you look like you need to get out more. I'll show you around after I finish work, and then we can go get some drinks at the bar."

"Sounds like a plan," Larxene smiled. When Axel faced Roxas, she shot him a "you better not mess up" look.

"Sounds…fun," Roxas said through his teeth.

Axel laughed. "C'mon. It won't be that bad. Everyone in this town's really nice."

He knew. Everyone in town was nice, except for maybe the butcher.

"Anyway, boys, I'd better get back home and finish the chores. I'll leave Ventus here with you, since he won't be much help at home."

Axel nodded. Once Larxene's figure disappeared over the hill, he turned to Roxas.

"So, Ven. I don't think you'll like hangin' around here unless you're interested in blacksmithing, which I'm pretty sure you don't. Being a city boy, you're probably not used to this kind of place, are you?" he said, quite mockingly.

Roxas scoffed. "What makes you think I'm a city boy?"

Axel raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, for one thing, you don't like getting your hands dirty. Don't think I didn't see you wipe off the dirt on your pants." He then pointed to the back of his head, "I got eyes right here, and I see everything. So let me tell you something, Ven: you best be careful with what you do around here, because I _will_ see every wrong step you make through these eyes right here. Got that memorized?"

"Which part? The one about being careful or the one about you having an extra set of eyes?"

They stared at each other for a minute before Axel burst out laughing.

"You're all right, kid," he grinned.

He then hooked his arm around Roxas' neck and gave him a noogie, ruffling his blonde spikes as well as dirtying them.

"Hey!" Roxas said in protest.

"They're just going to get dirtier as the day goes by! Might as well be sooner than later!" Axel jested.

Once Roxas broke free from his grip, he shook the soot and dirt out of his hair. He tugged one of his spikes down to inspect it and scowled when he realized that it wouldn't come off. Axel merely laughed.

"It'll come off when you get your bath. Just leave it. You'll learn that being dirty is a part of life, city boy."

Roxas glared at him, which made Axel laugh yet again.

Axel managed to leave work early since nothing was really going on. He and his mentor also finished some commissions earlier than they expected and could leave the rest for tomorrow. Even though it felt like forever for them to finish, Roxas found their work quite artistic, which was an unexpected thing coming from him. Their passion also showed through their work, which oddly reminded him of his mistress and her passion for potions.

So then Roxas found himself going around the town with Axel, who pointed out each shop with enthusiasm. He told him which shop sold the best of whatever, which shopkeeper tends to give out treats with purchases, and oddly enough which places were good makeout spots.

However, Roxas knew all these things already…except for the makeout spots. But he had to keep up a front in order not to let Axel know so as to not incur the wrath of Larxene. He also found that it was easy to talk to the spiky redhead, and he didn't even have to say much. He saw him a few times before when he was still a wolf, but he was never really in the same room with him for long. He was quite an interesting character.

They went to the bar, the last stop on Axel's tour. It was a relief to Roxas, because it was one step closer to going home. They did so much walking, and after listening to Axel go on and on about things nonstop made Roxas want to do nothing but go back and sleep. He was wary of going to the bar and actually drinking the bitter tasting alcohol, but after a few coaxing words from Axel, Roxas managed to take a few sips and not gag. But Roxas had to make sure that he didn't drink a lot. He saw what the drink did to the drinker after consuming too much, and he didn't like it. As a wolf, it was one of the things that humans do that boggled him. Plus, Roxas had to pay close attention to all the things going on at the bar, because it was where Axel supposedly was cheating on Larxene with a barmaid or whoever it was.

While they drank – Axel on his second draft, Roxas halfway through his first – the topic suddenly went to Roxas' life at home and his hometown. Roxas quickly made up whatever he could and hoped that the redhead would buy it. It seemed like he did.

"So, Ven," Axel said as he took a swig of his beer, "I've been really quiet about this, and I was curious about it since this morning. But what's up with the collar?"

Roxas swirled the yellow liquid around in his mug and glared at it. "It's a curse from a witch," he said nonchalantly. When Axel's face was full of confusion, Roxas said, "Long story short, I did something she didn't like, and she put this on me."

Axel whistled. "That's tough, man. I won't ask any further, but it must have been something really serious to get cursed by a witch."

They sat in silence for a while. Some triumphant shouts came from behind them at a table nearby. They must have been playing some kind of game, because someone stood up and accused the other of cheating. This triggered a fight, which got both people thrown out. It was an amusing sight.

"Was it your mom?" Axel suddenly asked. "I hear that sons who have witches for mothers have it real bad."

Roxas smirked. "Not at all." Then again, after all her nagging and scolding, Naminé might as well be. Roxas took a swig of beer, reveling in the taste and the burning sensation that trickled down his throat. It was unpleasant at first, but for some strange reason, Roxas found it addicting. He always wondered what it was that made people come back for more. Now he knew.

"Then it's from your girlfriend," Axel said confidently.

Roxas choked on his drink. He coughed as he beat his chest until he settled down.

"I'll take that as a yes then," Axel grinned, taking a swig himself.

Roxas scowled. Naminé? His girlfriend? Ha! He opened his mouth to deny the redhead's claim, but he was interrupted.

"Axel~" called a feminine voice.

Roxas raised an eyebrow as both of them turned to see a voluptuous barmaid sauntering over, her long brown locks falling in curls behind her. As she passed a table, the men stopped talking to ogle her, most particularly her derrière. Roxas glanced at Axel and saw that he was staring right at her chest, his face completely blank. When she was nearer to them, the redhead immediately took his eyes away and stared at his drink.

"How are things, Taya?" he asked.

She stood with one hand on her hip, and she flipped her hair. Roxas instantly smelled some kind of sweet fruit as she did so, which caught him off guard. Her scent was rich and mouthwatering, but it was a little too much for Roxas' taste. He could tell that her pheromones were on full blast.

"Same old, same old. You have the drunks, and you have the I-think-you-are-beautiful-can-I-screw-you kind of men. Had a woman hit on me today. It was very amusing," she waved her hand flippantly. Her deep, sultry voice sent a small shiver running down Roxas' spine. Suddenly, he was aware of how tense and humid the temperature got. There were even heated stares directed at their general direction.

"How about you?" she asked.

"Nothing new," Axel smiled but gave her a sidelong glance. Roxas could tell that he was trying not to look at her rack again.

She caught his gaze, and the corner of her mouth lifted. "Well, I have news for you, dear. You've got a _surprise_ waiting for you in upstairs," she winked.

Axel's eyes lit up and then narrowed when he remembered that Roxas was sitting next to him.

"I'll…come by later," Axel coughed. "I have to show my new friend here some more shops around town." Roxas inwardly groaned.

"Oh?" Taya said, her eyes trained on Roxas. Her alluring eyes travelled up and down, which made another shiver run down Roxas' spine. She smiled, liking what she saw, and Roxas took another long drink, trying to restrain a smirk. "So who's this handsome guy?"

"His name's Ven, Larxene's newphew. Had a fight with his mother, so he escaped here," Axel answered.

"Hmm…" Taya said, her eyes giving him another once over, "I bet you have all the ladies around your finger, don't you? I wouldn't be surprised with the looks you have."

The corner of Roxas' mouth twitched.

"He's already taken, Taya," Axel gave Roxas a smug look. "His girlfriend apparently cursed him with that collar around his neck. I wouldn't go for him if I were you."

Taya put her hands up. "All right. I guess I'll go find some other handsome new guy then." She turned around and took a few steps before she looked back at Axel. "Oh, and Axel," she said, "You can stop by _anytime_ tonight. I'll be up late…like usual. Make sure you bring _that_, too," She winked at him, which made him smirk. She walked away, and Roxas couldn't help but stare at the way her hips swayed.

"Wipe that drool from your mouth, city boy," Axel snickered as he playfully punched Roxas' arm.

"What was _that_ about?" he asked.

"Oh, Taya? She, uh, does...some things for me, and I do some things for her," Axel said uncomfortably, scratching the side of his face. From the way she looks at him and the way he stared at her, Roxas wouldn't doubt it. He decided to take a chance, play dumb, and ask further.

"What kind of things?" Roxas raised an eyebrow and smirked.

Axel's face became red, and he tried to hide it. He reached out a hand to ruffle Roxas' hair "Things are things, city boy. Don't worry yourself over it. It's not anything you would find particularly interesting."

Roxas seriously doubted that.

Axel went back to being his cheerful self as they walked back to his house. If it was even possible, Roxas felt as if the redhead was even more cheerful and could have sworn that he had a bounce to his step. Maybe he was excited for whatever he was doing tonight or something, but Roxas was interested in seeing how he would explain this to his wife.

When they walked through the front yard to Axel's house, they saw that Larxene was already waiting by the door. A small girl and an even smaller boy waited by her side. When Axel grinned and greeted them, they rushed into his arms, and he gave them a crushing hug, which made them laugh. Once they spotted Roxas, they gave him a curious glance before their father took their attention.

Roxas was more intrigued about Larxene since she remained by the doorway. She stood with her arms crossed, and in one of her hands, there was a wooden box. By the looks of it, she wasn't very happy.

This came as a surprise to Axel, who immediately caught onto her mood. "Everything all right?" he asked, setting the children down. The children looked to their mother, and their eyes widened, noticing her angry expression for the first time. Axel looked down and saw the box, and all the color drained from his face.

Larxene glared at him and stomped towards them. She pulled on Axel's arm to separate him and the children. She looked back at the children and smiled, "You kids wait here. Mommy has to have a little _talk_ with daddy."

Even though she smiled, the children remained silent. There was no doubt that their mommy was very angry, and they immediately ran inside to take cover.

Then she directed her smile at Roxas, which sent a cold shiver down his spine. "_Ventus_, you can go inside and play with the children before dinner."

Larxene then dragged Axel away from the house and onto a meadow next door. Even though Larxene told him to go inside, Roxas had no intention of obeying her since it was technically not an order. He didn't like children much anyways. So Roxas followed them, but he made sure to stay out of sight. He was still close enough to hear them.

When the couple was far enough, Larxene swiftly turned around and threw the box at Axel's feet. It opened as it hit the ground. It was bare.

"Would you mind telling me what _this_ looks like to you?" she snapped.

"Larxene, I can explain-"

"You'd better have a damn good explanation for this, because I am _this close_," she held up one of her hands and made a pinching gesture while squinting one eye, "_This close_ to cracking your head open on that rock. You know that we have been saving up that money for a _very_ long time, a _very very_ long time. So I want to know what the hell you've been doing with all that money."

She glared so fiercely that Axel looked down guiltily and couldn't meet her eyes.

"Well?" she waited.

Axel looked deep in thought as he tried to sort out his thoughts. He looked up and opened his mouth once only for no sound to come out.

Larxene's glare deepened. "You'd better not have spent it on anything stupid. I swear, Axel, if I hear that you bought yet another useless thing-"

"I didn't spend it on any trinket if that's what you mean," Axel suddenly said. Then he realized what he did and covered his mouth to prevent any other slips.

Larxene's eyes narrowed. "Did you spend it on that cruddy card game down at the bar?"

"No! That game is rigged. Even I could see that!"

"Then what did you do with all that money, Axel? It couldn't have just grown arms and legs and walked away," she put her hands on her hips.

Axel said nothing and kept avoiding eye contact.

"Are you seeing someone then? Because I've had a lot of people tell me that they saw you and what's her face talking really intimately down at the pub for a few weeks now. They also said that they saw you frequently sneaking into her room at night."

Once again, silence followed. Larxene threw her hands in the air.

"I can't believe you! We were saving up that money to renovate the house, and you blew it on your own selfish needs! Our house is already falling apart, and we barely have enough room for guests. How are we supposed to live in a house full of holes, Axel? Huh?"

Axel's silence only served as fuel to Larxene's anger.

"And that's not what really gets to me. What _really _gets to me is that I found all that out through other people! You didn't even try to tell me anything even after all those weeks! How are we supposed to go on living together when you're doing things behind my back?" her eyes started to water. "How do I even trust you now?"

She turned and walked away, but Axel caught her by the wrist.

"Please," he said, "Just wait a little while longer. I promise to explain everything then. I can't explain it now, but please…just wait."

Larxene didn't turn around, and from where Roxas hid, he couldn't see her expression. All he saw was Axel's dejected expression as Larxene silently broke away from him and walked back to the house. He watched her with sad eyes as she disappeared through the doorway, slamming the door behind her.

Axel stood there for a few minutes, staring at the place where Larxene disappeared. Then he bent over and picked up the wooden box that Larxene threw at him. He stared at it, inspected it, and traced the cover. Then he sighed as he plopped down onto the grass.

Roxas came out of his hiding place and walked towards Axel, who was currently sprawled on the grass and staring at the darkening sky. Roxas took a seat next to him, sitting cross legged.

"The worst part is that I can't even tell her," Axel said, knowing full well that Roxas was listening in.

Roxas shrugged. "I don't see why you can't. She's your wife. You should be able to talk to her about anything, you know."

Axel sighed heavily. "I talk to her about everything, yes, but I can't specifically talk to her about _this_. I've got a temporary spell on me that won't let me talk to her about it until the day comes."

"Talk about what?"

"It was supposed to be a surprise, too…"

"Call _what _off?" Roxas asked. Axel was going off on a tangent, and Roxas had absolutely no clue what he was saying.

Axel sighed once again. "I was planning a surprise for her, and Taya was helping me."

"What kind of surprise?" he pressed on.

The redhead ran a hand through his spiky hair. "But I don't really get why she's _this_ angry. I thought she knew me better than that."

"She thought you were having an affair with her. I think it's a legitimate reason to be angry. Now about this -"

Axel raised an eyebrow. "After all that work I've done to get Larxene to say 'yes' to my proposal? I'm not _that_ crazy."

"Then why all the secrecy? You have to admit, it _is_ pretty suspicious. You're conversations with that barmaid were also pretty suspicious," Roxas signed frustratingly. He was growing more and more impatient for the answer that plagued both Larxene and Naminé's minds.

Axel looked at him straight in the eye. "You shouldn't take barmaids' words seriously, Ven. Especially Taya. That girl is naturally flirty and doesn't mean anything by it. A lot of people tend to misunderstand her actions, but she's a good person."

Roxas put his hand on Axel's shoulder. "Axel, just tell me what this secret is. The spell only forbids you to talk about it with Larxene, right?"

He shook his head. "If I tell anyone besides her, the spell would also go to that person so that he won't tell her. The consequence of telling her is that that person would lose some sort of body part that's important to them. For me, I would lose my right arm since I use that to do my work as a blacksmith."

Roxas shrugged. "Not like it matters to me anyway. It's probably better than being cursed." But he still wouldn't want to lose any part of his body. It's not like he was going to say anything to Larxene right away even if he found out Axel's big secret earlier than expected.

Axel's green eyes subtly glanced over at Roxas' collar. Then he looked to his feet. His eyebrows were scrunched together, probably trying to decide if it was all right to tell him.

He sighed. "Taya knows a wizard who specializes in repair, and there's a particular spell that he's been working on for me. I've been going to his place with Taya to see his progress. We go during the night because only she knows the way and the wizard can't exactly show his face around town in the daytime. But the spell takes a lot of time to make and is a very delicate process. It's also very expensive, and there's no guarantee that it could work…"

"What spell is that?"

"It's a spell that would make our house repair itself and make it withstand weather and all kinds of damages. We wouldn't have to spend more time and money repairing it since it could do that itself, and we can even add more rooms if we wanted," Axel explained while staring at the ground and twiddling his thumbs.

Roxas' eyebrows shot up to his hairline. This was not a big spell; it was an _enormous_ spell. It's already difficult to repair a broken object, but to make it self-repairing? As well as weather proof? For a house like that? Even though it's pretty small, that size alone for a spell like that must have been extremely expensive, well beyond the salary of a blacksmith.

Axel continued to explain with a sullen expression. "Larxene was always going on and on about either renovating the house or moving out, but I know she really liked the place right from the moment she saw it. I wanted to do something for her because…well, because I love her. I haven't really done as much as I should as her husband, so I wanted to do this for her. But I can't even tell her even though I want to so badly."

Roxas raised an eyebrow. It's a good thing that there is a spell to prevent that. He opened his mouth to say something, but then he hesitated. He doesn't usually hesitate either. It was just...he felt bad that Axel had to go through this. It was obviously something important to him, and Roxas felt that he had to be careful about what he said. It was a weird feeling coming from him.

The blonde sighed. "Then why don't you wait until the spell is done? I'm sure she'll forgive you then."

Axel smiled weakly. "Well, the spell _is_ almost done according to that wizard."

"When will it be done?"

"He said by the end of this week."

_So about four days from now_, thought Roxas.

"There. See? It won't be that long."

Axel smiled weakly.

"What is it?" Roxas asked. He began to stand, brushing the dirt off of his pants.

"It's just that Larxene can hold a grudge for a long time. Even if it's at me…"

"Just hang in there and give her some space. Na – I mean, some people get angry at me all the time. I leave them for a while, and when I come back, they aren't so angry anymore." It was weird for Roxas to be giving advice when he's always hearing it from other people. It was kind of…refreshing.

Axel's demeanor immediately brightened. He grinned as he also stood up, and he slapped Roxas' back, leaving yet another hand print. "You're right. I'm probably being too down. Just a few days, right? I just hope that Larxene doesn't make me sleep outside tonight. I hear it's going to rain…"

Roxas chuckled as they began making their way back to the house. He could already smell the aroma of dinner, and it made him hungry. There was also the smell of apple pie – not like how Naminé made it, but he would still eat it – and it made his mouth water. But as they were walking, there was a nagging sensation in the back of his mind, and he felt like he had forgotten something…important. He tried to think about it by reviewing the day's events, and it came to him as if lightning struck him.

Roxas stopped in his tracks. Naminé's voice rang throughout his head.

"_Roxas," she said, grabbing his attention, "I order you to carry out Larxene's mission instead of her cat. You will follow Axel every day in order to find out whether or not he is having an affair. At the end of the day, you will report to Larxene and give her _**_a __full report_**_. Do not come back unless this mission is fulfilled. Do you understand me?"_

_Shit_, Roxas thought. Not only was he supposed to keep Axel's secret in order for him to not lose a limb, he was also expected to relay all that he discovered to Larxene, further complicating things. It was different if the nature of two spells clash directly since they would cancel out, but this…this was a spell versus a spell casted on an object. That meant that both would be enforced.

Things became even more complicated.

How did it become like this?

But more importantly, how was he going to solve this?

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

What...? Has it really been a year since I updated this...? I'm so sorry, guys. I didn't mean for it to take so long!

So as you all have found out, this chapter is in Roxas' POV! :D It was uber fun to write. I like the interactions between Roxas and Axel. It's funny. :)

I wanted to give the role of the barmaid to another Kingdom Hearts character or even a Final Fantasy one, but I couldn't find any that I liked (that fit the role I wanted them to play)...so I just made up a random name. I swear, she's not my OC.

Soooo. There's a lot of people that I have to thank (and to apologize for taking so long...), but I have to express my thanks to those who reviewed me: **NeverGirl**, **rikku247**, **Draco Oblivion**, **Q-A the Authoress**, **Paper Train**, **TheShadowedKissedAngel**, **Orika**, **krytoniteuzumaki**, **Serena Scarlet**, **Vi** **ChaN91312**, **(No Name)**, **ravens13** (Thank you so much! It was hard to write it because of all the adult themes...None yet so far though. Haha. By the way, I couldn't tell that English wasn't your first language. Could have fooled me!), **sasusakufan2357**, **Hegodart**, **Alecdot**, **Lucid Stupor**, **purpleeninjaaa**, **Pikachulover25**, **smallwritergirl**, and **Namiroku**.

I have to be better at updating this. It's shorter than "Correspondence with a Demon," after all. XD

Thank you guys for being so patient with me. Hope to finish the next chapter sooner!


	5. Reviewing the Situation

**My Obstinate Familiar**

Chapter 5 – Reviewing the Situation

Naminé was awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of a creaking floorboard, but when she opened her eyes, she was not able to make out anything but darkness. She quickly sat up as she again heard the creaking, but this time it sounded closer. Then she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She turned her head, but her vision was quickly blocked off by a blindfold. Her body instinctively tensed, and she immediately raised her hands and tried to remove it.

Gentle hands covered hers, halting all movement.

"Shhh," whispered a deep soothing voice, "It's only me."

Upon recognizing the voice, Naminé relaxed. She did not question his presence in her room, but she felt relieved that it was him and not someone else.

"Relax," he said gently. He placed his hand in the middle of her chest and gave her a nudge to lie back in bed. With her heart thumping wildly, she obeyed.

She felt the same hand travel up the side of her neck until his fingers caressed her face and his thumb stroked her cheek. She sighed as she leaned in to feel the warmth of his hand. She turned her head towards his hand, and he ran his thumb lightly over her lips, which parted slightly. The bed shifted as he leaned down to plant a light kiss on her other cheek.

She felt his hot breath as he traveled down to whisper in her ear. "My beautiful witch, tonight you will feel something you've never experienced before."

Her breath hitched as she felt his hand travel painfully slowly down her neck, leaving a trail of warmth that branched outward and shot down her arms and to the tips of her fingertips. She involuntarily shivered. The hand paused for a moment at the center of her chest, and she wondered if he would take the time to caress her there as he had the night before. His hand barely brushed it as it continued its journey.

He carefully lifted her nightgown until it exposed her belly. Her breathing increased at the same time his hand touched her bare skin. She felt every touch, every caress as his fingertips lightly trailed down her stomach, sending both tickles and shivers throughout her body. They continued further south until they brushed the lining of her panties for a moment. Then they slipped underneath.

She arched her back as she felt his hand reach its destination, sending warm waves of pleasure. As an unconscious response, her legs opened a little wider. Her mouth opened in a silent cry as the smallest actions were sending bolts of electricity throughout her body. Lips lightly brushed the hollow of her ear and whispered soothing words and forbidden desires that made her blush a deep red and made her stomach flutter. His fingers mimicked his words, and she shuddered in anticipation.

She cried out as a powerful wave came upon her. All of a sudden her body began to grow hotter and hotter until she felt like she would explode at any moment. She tossed her head back and forth wildly as her body unconsciously swayed to and fro to the rhythm his hand created. Sometime during his ministrations, the blindfold had slipped from her eyes. As she opened her eyes to gaze at the man who controlled her dance, they fell upon the mischievous and desire-filled blue eyes that she had known for many years, the blonde hair that always shone in the sunlight, and the beautiful face that she did not recognize until recent memories came flooding back to her.

Naminé jumped into waking, sweat running down both sides of her face. Both her hair and her sheets were damp with her sweat. She panted from shock and sheer exertion as she tried to calm herself down. She hugged her knees to her chest in an attempt to soothe the warmth and ache in her abdomen, but it would not fade away. She told herself over and over that it was just another dream, something that was not real…but this one was more vivid and lifelike than all the others from the past few days. It tormented her to no end, and it left her more exhausted than before.

These dreams seemed to grow progressively worse with each passing day. She knew that it was wrong to see things and feel things in this way especially for her familiar. She of all people knew her familiar best and thought of him as unruly, incorrigible, and downright…obstinate! But ever since he turned into a human, impure thoughts kept plaguing the witch no matter how much she tried to push them into the deep recesses of her mind. She thought that by not seeing him for a few days, these thoughts would subside and everything would go back to normal. However, it seems that the thoughts have somehow turned into vivid dreams, which made Naminé's situation worse.

She knew that the relationship between a witch and her familiar were different for every witch, but for a witch to indulge in…_romantic relations_? It was unheard of! No witch had ever considered such a thing. There were no records of it or even any stories because it was not even thought possible.

So why is it only her that had this problem?

Naminé rubbed her eyes sleepily as she summoned a splash of cold water to hit the small boy sitting on all fours. She cast a shield to block the water droplets as he shook his head back and forth to dispel the water. It glared at her and began to growl.

"Hungry," he said, slamming his hands on the ground. "Hungry!"

She sighed as she magically cleared away the spilt food from the ground and from her clothes. "I told you that if you do this, then you'll get to eat. You know, you're a smart dog, but you're really stubborn, aren't you?"

The little boy continued to growl, but it was an odd to hear a dog-like growl from a human.

She flicked her wand in the air, and a small grey cloud loomed over the boy warningly. His growls began to subside just as he realized that he was going to be dowsed in water again if he didn't obey.

"Now," she said as she summoned another bowl of food. She approached the dog carefully, watching for any of the slightest movements. His ears perked up as his eyes caught sight of the bowl. He took a step forward, and she paused, wondering if he was going to jump on her again to get to the food.

"Sit," she commanded.

She watched as the boy sat, not taking his eyes off of the bowl. She slowly and carefully set the bowl down in front of him, and he remained where he was although his drool began to drip from his mouth. Once she stepped back and nodded, he dove into the bowl and ate greedily. He eyed her warily and occasionally glanced at the looming cloud. Once he was done, he looked at her once more, staring at her for a minute or two, and upon seeing her stern look, he huffed and turned around.

She smiled victoriously as the he made his way back to the base of the tree and lied down. Then she got up and walked over to him, ruffling his hair and giving him praise. The boy stiffened at first and then remained silent, but Naminé knew that he was satisfied about receiving attention.

She sat on the spot next to him. She sighed while wiping the sweat on her brow and leaned back, closing her eyes and enjoying the gentle wind on a nice sunny day. At some point, Coco had nestled against her, making her smile and gently petting the top of his head from time to time.

It had been about two days since she took temporary custody of the dog, and she had quite a difficult time training him. She tried different methods including bribery and positive reinforcement, but it didn't exactly work out the way she wanted. In the end, she found that splashing water as punishment worked best, and she was satisfied to finally reach some sort of understanding with him. He would need more practice to enforce the training, but it was, at least, a start.

"I see that you actually got that dog to settle down for once. That's a lot of progress," someone called out. Naminé opened her eyes and turned her head towards the voice. Coco also noticed and raised his head to look, but upon seeing his master, he laid his head back down and closed his eyes.

The witch smiled as she saw Larxene in the distance. As her friend drew closer, Naminé stood, brushing the dirt off of her dress. She frowned as she realized that she had dirt and grass stains on her white dress and quickly cast a spell to get rid of them. Then she turned to greet Larxene.

"Had a rough night?" Larxene asked, getting a good look at Naminé. The witch knew that she must look exhausted to the blonde. She had dark bags under her eyes, which she could barely keep open.

Naminé smiled weakly. "Something like that." The truth was that she couldn't go back to sleep right after having that dream and was afraid of having another one. The trouble was that the thoughts and fears of that dream plagued her while she was awake, so she couldn't really do anything about it.

"So what brings you here?"

"I just wanted to check on things over here and see how you were doing. I was worried about Coco's training, but I can see that I didn't have any reason to doubt you," Larxene said as she placed her hands on her hips and cast a wary glance at the little boy.

"So how much longer will the potion last?" she continued. "I thought that he might have transformed back by this time."

Naminé nodded. "He will be back to his original form at least by the end of the day, if not sooner."

"Good, because I don't know how long my excuse will last. Having him being 'checked by a witch specializing in animal behavior' got me through the first day, but now the kids are asking about him and when he's coming home." Naminé chuckled as Larxene sighed. "I don't even know why Axel and the kids have such an odd affection for the beast, after all the trouble he caused."

The witch's smile soon faded as she saw how troubled her friend looked after mentioning her husband.

"Larxene, what's wrong?"

She was a little hesitant before replying. "I feel guilty for always relying on you, Naminé. You've done a lot for me, and now I've somehow gone and messed things up."

"What do you mean?" Naminé gestured for her to come inside so that they may converse at a more comfortable setting. After magically tethering Coco to the tree, she led the way to the living room where she plopped down on the couch. She motioned for Larxene to sit down next to her.

The woman sighed as she adjusted her skirt and sat. "The day before yesterday…that morning when we switched Roxas and Coco, I found out that Axel had been stealing the money we've been saving for a long time."

Naminé gasped. She knew that those funds were for restoring their house.

"Do you know what he used it for?" she asked.

"Probably on that wench from the pub," Larxene answered bitterly.

"So you don't know."

"No! I don't know!" her friend cried. "I haven't properly talked to him these past two days! I'm so angry with him that I can't even stand to look at him!"

"So you're avoiding him?"

"Yes, but it's not like he's even trying to explain things to me either! He just keeps saying to wait a few days. Wait a few days for what? To tell me what I've been suspecting all along?"

"What about Roxas? Did he tell you anything?" She kept her facial expression neutral even though she was downright anxious about him.

The woman buried her face in her hands. "He won't tell me a thing about it even though I've been asking him every time I see him. I spoke to him this morning, and he just brushed me off and changed the topic! I _know_ for certain that he found out what Axel was up to. He's been tagging along with Axel every day, and now they're _both_ out late at night. It's driving me insane!"

Naminé looked shocked because he didn't say anything, and she was inwardly disappointed that he was still human. There was a stir in the depths of her abdomen, but she pushed it down. "He hasn't told you? How is that possible? The spell on the collar should have worked. He should have been able to tell you everything!"

"I don't know," Larxene replied slowly as she put a hand over her tired eyes. "Maybe it malfunctioned?"

The witch shook her head. "I thought that, too, but once an order is given, the spell on the collar ensures that it will be carried out. The only times it can weaken are when new orders are given. The spell hasn't weakened enough for it to stop halfway." She said nothing about what Roxas revealed to her a few days ago, the information about _wanting_ the order to be carried out. But she was completely sure that she meant it when she said that he was to obey Larxene.

"The order you gave him to listen to me? Did that make the spell malfunction?"

"No, it should still be in place. It just means that Roxas must have found a loophole of some sort."

There were, of course, other ways to throw off a spell, including a counter-spell and sheer will power. However, familiars can't perform magic, according to her knowledge. He doesn't even have the will power to help her with chores let alone break a spell. But since he was very intelligent, it was most likely that he found a way around the spell. It was the only explanation she could think of.

"So what do I do now?" Larxene sighed dejectedly, her eyes glazing over. "I don't think I can take much more of this. If this is how it is after two days, I don't think I can last a month."

Naminé placed a comforting hand on the woman's knee. "There has to be some explanation, I'm sure of it. It just…it doesn't seem like Axel to be doing things like taking money and seeing that woman…"

"If there was such a reason, why hasn't he tried to talk to me about it? Why does he keep telling me to wait?" Larxene choked, biting back tears. "Naminé, he didn't even say anything when I confronted him about it. He didn't even _try_ to talk to me!"

She looked away, staring absentmindedly at a spot on the carpet. "I'm just so…tired. I'm really exhausted from all of this…"

Naminé tried to say more to calm her down, to reassure her. Nothing she said, however, brought any comfort to her friend. Larxene just seemed so sure, so certain, that her husband was cheating on her with another woman and wouldn't listen to any reassuring words Naminé had to offer. It made the witch feel sad for her friend and also angry with Axel. She wanted to do something to help her friend more, but she was afraid that her magic might interfere and make things worse instead of better. She already interfered enough as it is…and she had to abide by the oath she made for herself when she took up this position, which was to help people and not to be too involved in the customer's business. Even if that customer was a dear friend.

With a heavy heart, the witch had no choice but to send her friend on her way home with a potion to calm the nerves. After seeing Larxene in such a sensitive state, Naminé felt that this was the least she could do. Coco – who had by then transformed back into a dog – left with her. Sensing his master's dampened demeanor, he silently and obediently walked by her side.

Naminé sighed as she retreated into her cottage, tidying up. Then she went downstairs to do some work to help alleviate some stress. There wasn't much she could do since she was still without a cauldron, but she would gather ingredients, do some research, and prepare her work station.

She looked at the list of orders that had grown since that fiasco and set her mind to work. Despite the fact that she told her current customers that their orders would be delayed, most were patient enough to wait until she had the time to buy a new cauldron. That didn't stop the incoming orders, however, and soon Naminé realized that if she didn't start on her work soon, she would never finish the potions in the time that the customers would return for it. She walked over to her shelves lined with potion ingredients and gathered them together. She put them into separate piles and placed a note at each pile, making sure to leave the book that contained the recipe.

Usually, organizing and gathering things would help Naminé calm down as potion-making did. But no matter what she did, she could not stop thinking about Larxene. She felt guilty that she couldn't do any more for her friend, and she very much wanted to walk up to Axel and demand to know what he was up to. He had to know what he was doing to his wife, how miserable he was making her feel.

But she was scared.

Axel and Larxene were the first friends that she made in this town, and she didn't want to lose them. She was even grateful to them for showing the townsfolk that Naminé meant well and wanted to help. She didn't want to see the couple fight or even separate because of this. If they only spoke about it…If they would only talk to each other…

And that Roxas. What was he doing? He was only making the situation worse. After all that she did to ensure that he would carry out her order, he somehow managed to work around the spell. She should have never entrusted this mission to him. He, of all familiars, most likely couldn't comprehend the delicate situation between a husband and a wife. She must have assumed that he would be intelligent enough to figure _that_ out and handle it with care. If she ever saw him again, she would give him a piece of her mind, she would.

She looked down at the list and frowned. There were some orders that required more complex ingredients for equally complex potions, and many of them were not on Naminé's shelves since they were expensive and hard to come by. She walked across the room and knelt down. She knocked twice on the ground, and a trap door opened to reveal a box. She took it and looked through her savings, counting the coins.

Naminé sighed dejectedly once she finished. There was enough to buy a cauldron but not enough to also buy the ingredients she needed. She might have to venture out to the forest and see if she could collect at least one or two of the ingredients, but the rest could not be found by merely foraging. She would have to find another way, but she would do that _after_ she bought her cauldron.

As she put the money into a small pouch that she put around her neck, she pondered over which route to take when she departed for the market. Then a thought crossed her mind.

She stood up and made her way up the stairs and to the front door of her cottage, grabbing her cloak, her headscarf, and her broom on the way. She intended to visit a friend who used to be her upperclassman back at the Academy, and she looked up to him in admiration and always sought his advice when it came to her studies. He specialized in cultivating plants with magical properties and would give her some plants when she was low on money. She didn't do this often since she felt as if she was imposing on him, but…she would have to ask this favor once more.

It took Naminé about two hours of flying, which would have to be about a day's journey by foot. It would have been shorter if she had remembered the way, but she somehow reached a place that she recognized. From that point, she knew which direction to head to. She wasn't even sure if her friend would be in the same place, but she would know soon enough once she climbed the hill before her.

Right as she reached the top of the hill, her eyes spotted the familiar gigantic glass building below with numerous smaller glass buildings attached to it. It was a building that was difficult to miss, but average people and low ranked witches and warlocks were unable to find such a place. It was under many disguise and camouflage spells since her friend didn't really want to be disturbed by "lousy fools who merely seek an escape to a problem with a simple solution" according to him. Only trained and competent wizards or a select few – which, in Naminé's case, she happened to be both – were allowed to know his home's exact location.

She made her way over to it and stared up at the entrance of the greenhouse. As grand as the greenhouse's size was, its structure and design were very simple. She admired the grand double doors that stood before her and then reached out to pull the rope that hung to the right side. Almost immediately, a bell rang loudly and echoed throughout the building.

When the doors opened, a man with long pink hair stood before her, donning a long light green tunic with many dirt stains near the hem and thick brown gloves. She saw slight surprise and recognition in his blue eyes covered by the goggles he wore.

"Well, I wasn't exactly expecting company, but come in," the upperclassman stood aside and beckoned the young witch inside. She took off the scarf on her head and brushed the bangs from her forehead. She immediately took off her cloak and draped it over her arm. It was very warm in the greenhouse, and like always, it sported a variety of exotic plants.

He showed her to one of his numerous work stations and gestured for her to sit while he brought over a tray that held biscuits, cookies, and elegant tea cups with a matching tea pot. Once he set it down before her and she helped herself to some snacks, he left the room and entered one of his attached greenhouses. Whenever Naminé visited, Marluxia always did his work in front of her since he was on such a tight schedule.

"So what brings you here, Miss 'White Witch'?" the pink haired man said as he brought over a terracotta pot that contained a deadly looking lily. She poured some tea and then magicked the cup to levitate over to him. He nodded in thanks.

"Nothing…really…" Naminé answered, eyeing the bright purple flower with razor sharp teeth in its center. She took a sip of her own cup. "I just felt that it was quite a long time since I visited."

"Mmm," Marluxia said absentmindedly as he took a pair of shears from a nearby drawer and snipped the bud. It dropped to the table while squealing in pain. After a few seconds, it withered and died with its mouth open. Marluxia pulled tweezers and a shallow dish from his pocket and began to pluck its teeth.

"That's an interesting plant," Naminé noted. "What project are you working on this time?"

Without looking up, Marluxia said, "I'm not at liberty to divulge the contents of my client's request. It's a rather complicated process."

"Is it all right for me to be here though?"

Marluxia glanced at her. "Naminé, you do not specialize in the growth and care of magical plants, so I do not see any harm in showing a process that you are obviously unfamiliar with."

She smiled uneasily. She forgot how blunt Marluxia could be. "That's right. But I was also wondering if it was safe for me to be here."

He turned back to his work. "I'm not doing any harmful stages of the process _at the moment_."

Naminé took his silence as a cue to carry on with "meaningless conversation," as Marluxia would put it.

"Speaking of 'harmful stages,' I recently had a sort of accident while working on one of my potions, and it kind of…ruined my cauldron."

He frowned. "That doesn't sound like you. You're usually very meticulous as I am when it comes to work."

She smiled inwardly at the compliment. "I was distracted…at that moment."

"By what?" He sounded quite curious.

"My familiar was up to mischief again," she answered.

For a long time, there was silence, and Naminé wondered if he was going to ask further. She knew that she would usually rant about it to the point where Marluxia would tire of it and scold her for being so obsessed, but she was relieved when he didn't ask about it. "Cauldrons are quite expensive, you know."

"Yes, it's quite inconvenient. I only have enough money saved to buy a new one. But I noticed lately that my orders are piling up. I don't think I could even afford to buy some of the ingredients…So I was wondering…if you could…"

He did not take his eyes off of his work, but she could see his eyes narrowing in concentration. At least…that's what she thought it was. It might have been annoyance. "You want some of my plants for your potions," he guessed.

She looked down at her cup, feeling guilty for visiting for such underhanded reasons.

"Dahlia," he called.

A white cat appeared from the doorway across the room and approached them. She still looked as graceful and majestic as when Naminé last saw her. Dahlia was, of course, Marluxia's familiar, and she was born with the rare ability to talk. As far as the witch knew, Dahlia was one of the few familiars who could do so. There was once an overly curious professor who questioned Dahlia over the mysteries surrounding familiars and their abilities, but the cat remained silent and refused to answer.

"Yes?" she asked, her blue eyes travelling over to Naminé who waved in greeting. The cat bowed her head in respect.

"Naminé is in need of some plants."

Dahlia turned towards the witch. "Do you have a list with you?"

She took out a piece of paper containing the information and handed it to the cat who took it with her mouth. Then she sauntered away, exiting at the door closest to them.

"Thanks. I owe you one," Naminé smiled gratefully.

"Mm. Another to add to the growing list of favors, I suppose," Marluxia replied, crossing the room to pick up another deadly looking plant. It was another flower with a complete set of teeth, but this one was more energetic. Marluxia quickly drew back when the plant began to snap at him. He took a nearby bottle and sprayed it over the plant. He waited until it settled down before bringing it over to the table.

"So how are things around here lately?"

"Work comes and goes as usual. It's never a dull moment, but I _do_ wish to have more time for other things."

Naminé sipped her tea. "Why not take a day off? You've been working really hard."

"I cannot. It'll be detrimental to the schedule I laid out, and I have orders piling up left and right." Like the lily, he snipped the flower and began to pluck out its teeth.

Naminé remained quiet at this point since Marluxia seemed to be really focused on his task. She could tell, however, that he was considering her suggestion, and it made her smile.

She took this time to look around some more and to enjoy her tea. Sometimes their conversations would end in silence, but it was more of a comfortable atmosphere between friends.

Naminé sighed in envy as she remembered her friend's familiar. So graceful. Such a good assistant. She wished she could have a familiar as helpful as Dahlia. The cat was as much an assistant as she was a companion to Marluxia, and even though he didn't voice it, Naminé knew that the warlock was grateful to have her around. It let him concentrate on his work.

She wondered what it would be like to have that kind of relationship with a familiar. It must be nice and not at all chaotic. If she had an assistant, then she would be able to do twice as much work and earn double the amount. If she saved enough, she could even renovate her cottage!

But alas, she was on her own when it came to her work, and it wasn't going to change. Thinking about familiars made her recall her current situation with her own familiar. All the complications and arising problems were beginning to give her such a headache. She sighed heavily as she remembered how complicated her life had become once Roxas turned human.

Naminé was startled as Marluxia also sighed, more out of frustration. He stopped midway in his de-teething, setting down his tools and removing his gloves and goggles. He pinched the bridge of his nose as if trying to get rid of a sudden headache.

"W-what is it?"

He looked pointedly at her. "That was about your tenth sigh."

"Was it?" she said uneasily as the edge of her mouth twitched.

"What's really the problem, Naminé?"

Naminé tried to keep a straight face. "I don't know what you mean. Everything's fine."

He shot her a look that told her that he clearly wasn't buying it.

"You can't keep running to me or to anyone else whenever something goes wrong, Naminé. You always do this, but you're lucky I'm in a good mood to listen. So I would appreciate it if you would get right to the point and just tell me what problem is plaguing you this time."

Naminé bit her lip. Did she really always run to him for advice? No, she remembered times that she didn't rely on Marluxia when she was in trouble…but then again…during those times, she would run to Kairi…

"It's not about your familiar, is it?" Marluxia asked, getting straight to the point.

Naminé's eyes widened.

"How did you…?"

"I only made an observation that was clear only to a witch or a warlock," he said, looking at her familiar-less side. Just then, his own familiar suddenly appeared and jumped onto the table. Her blue eyes looked at both of the witch's sides, searching for the wolf.

"Roxas' scent around you isn't as strong as it usually is, and there is something about his scent that is quite strange," the cat observed quietly.

Marluxia reached a hand over to his familiar and scratched the area between her ears. She purred in contentment while staring curiously at the dead flower on the table.

"Thank you, Dahlia," he said as she jumped off the table and strode away through the doors leading to the greenhouse to collect more plants. Marluxia silently turned back to Naminé and stared at her, expecting an answer.

The blonde witch looked down guiltily, staring at her clenching and unclenching fists on her lap. "You're right. It _is_ about my familiar. I just…I don't know what to do anymore."

"Did he cause that much mischief for you to burn your potion?" the pink haired warlock asked bored.

She shook her head. "It's not that. He…he drank one of the potions I was making for a client."

Marluxia raised an eyebrow.

"It was…it was the Transformation potion, the one that turns animals into humans for a short time," she explained. "But Roxas being…Roxas…he's become more unbearable and uncontrollable than before, and…and – " She couldn't really say any more without breaking down.

Both of Marluxia's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "That is…quite shocking. I don't think I've ever heard that happen before. I thought that he stole yet another expensive piece of meat from the butcher."

Naminé's shoulders began to shake, and she covered her eyes, trying to fight back the frustrated tears that threatened to fall. Voicing her problem out loud and having someone understand the situation completely had made her more relieved yet more…upset.

"I'm…guessing that it's much more than Roxas turning human…?"

She nodded silently, looking at her clenched fists that rest on her lap.

"Well, then…are you…forming…romantic feelings for him?"

Her head snapped up, her eyes widened. "No! No, that can't be! I've only been with the human Roxas for two days, and he's been - "

"But you've known the familiar Roxas for years," the gardener pointed out, "Is he any different from when he was a wolf?"

Naminé averted her eyes. "No, not that different. He's still obnoxious and disobedient as he's always been. But he's been…very difficult. He's been making…advances towards me, and I don't know what to do."

Marluxia raised an eyebrow. "Sexual advances?"

A blush stained the witch's cheeks as she gave a silent confirmation.

"And you think pushing him away and running here would solve your problem?"

"What else am I supposed to do?" she cried. "There's nothing about an antidote or a reversal to this potion except to wait it out! My uncle told me to stay away from Roxas, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to do that when he's…when he's…like that…and acting…like that. Not to mention that it's been days since he drank the potion, and he's still human!" She covered her face in shame, refusing to picture Roxas that first night he transformed.

The gardener let out a long sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Naminé, there's nothing wrong with finding people attractive."

"Not when it involves your familiar! How would you like it if Dahlia made the same advances towards you?"

Upon hearing her name, the cat poked her head through the door. The pink-haired warlock and his familiar exchanged glances. The cat gave him an amused smirk.

"I admit that it would be quite awkward," the warlock coughed, and the cat retreated into the room. "But what I meant, Naminé, is that you've been pushing aside your…womanly urges for the years that I've known you, keeping yourself as pure as a nun. You have no experience when it comes to men, and you do not even know how to handle one when he makes strong advances."

"But I told him to keep away from me and to not come near me. Shouldn't that count?"

"That depends..._How_ did you tell him? Were you assertive?"

She thought for a moment before answering. "No…I guess it wasn't enough."

"Then do you feel attracted to him?"

"W-what?" she stared at him with wide eyes. She heard the question clearly, but for some reason, her brain was having trouble processing this.

"Are you attracted to Roxas?" he repeated.

Naminé looked down, taking some time to think about it. Did she find Roxas attractive? He most certainly wasn't _ugly_, and she _did_ describe him as the "naked Adonis" that first night…She remembered every touch and every advance, which made her heart pound and her face flush deeply. After reflecting upon her actions and her reactions, Naminé came to a conclusion. She now knew the answer, but the witch simply did not want to acknowledge it. It made things profoundly complicated, and she certainly did not want to think about it. In her mind, she knew it was wrong, completely and utterly wrong.

But she knew. She most likely knew the whole time and was just in denial.

Marluxia clearly saw the answer through her expression.

"It's understandable that it would hit you rather hard once you've seen someone highly attractive."

"He's still the same arrogant familiar though. I would have thought it would cancel out," she answered quietly, "And it's not like I haven't seen extremely handsome men before though."

"But you probably haven't ever seen someone so appealing, so delectable to you that you can't stop thinking about him or even the possibility of you two being together no matter how complicated the situation is or will become. Maybe it haunts you every day, maybe you dream about it every night."

That rendered Naminé silent as she let the thought sink into her.

The warlock nodded and took a sip of his tea. "I'm not saying that you should harbor feelings for your familiar and pursue it, but you should also consider and sort out your own feelings on that matter. If you're to do anything about your current situation, you need to be prepared and stand your ground, and any hesitation or break in your resolve will only make things worse. Once you've done that, I'm sure that you'll be able to handle the problem easily."

"But what about my uncle? He told me that it's dangerous to be in the same vicinity and that I should stay away from him."

Marluxia crossed his arms. "Your uncle may be one of the most intelligent minds in the Academy, but even he cannot unlock the secrets and mysteries of feelings such as love and attraction. Also, this is a problem between you and your familiar. Outsiders should not be involved."

Naminé looked down at her lap. It wasn't exactly the advice she wanted to hear, but the way he said it made her ponder his words. He made it sound easier that it actually is. She guessed that there was truth in his words, but she wondered if she could really do that. Could she sort out her feelings for Roxas? Even after admitting to herself of her attraction for her familiar, a part of her didn't want to touch it at all, and a different part of her was tired of it all and wanted it to end, to let it die. Then there was a tiny part of her that was curious about it. She would have to somehow reconcile all of these parts and come to some sort of compromise.

She closed her eyes, knowing that it was going to be difficult.

"Now…if you may excuse me…I have to get back to work. I'm behind as it is, and my client is waiting anxiously for this order…"

"Oh! That's right. I'm sorry for keeping you busy with my worries," Naminé gathered her things and hastily tied the scarf over her head. At that moment, Dahlia entered the room with a basket full of the plants. The witch stooped down to grab the basket and to lightly pet Dahlia's head in thanks.

Marluxia walked her to the entrance with Dahlia trailing behind. As Naminé stepped outside, she turned to face the pink-haired man.

"Thanks again, Marluxia. I promise that the next time I visit it won't be because I'm running away again, and I'm sorry that I always run to you for advice."

He waved it away. "Just be sure that you have everything figured out."

She smiled gratefully, "I will."

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Yo! It's been a while, hasn't it? I meant to update on this fanfic's second birthday, but then I couldn't exactly tie together some parts. This chapter was going to be longer, but I decided to chop it and put it into the next chapter. Thanks for being patient! Hope this chapter was fun for you. It was fun for me to see Naminé struggle with her feelings. More to come, I'm sure. And in the next chapter, I can guarantee that we'll see some Naminé and Roxas interaction. Muahaha. Look forward to it!

Before I go, I must must thank my lovely reviewers. A big thank you to: **Namiroku**, **GummyDrive**, **Polymoly**, **Q-A the Authoress**, **Vi ChaN91312**, **purpleeninjaaa**, **Kiome-Yasha**, **JustieC**, **TheShadowKissedAngel**, **aquagirl** (Aw. Thanks so much! :D), **Imagamerchic** (Thanks! lol. Yes, it is becoming quite a recurring theme...I think my next one will change that. :D), **LightSky**, **Vanguardian 101** (Woah. A bazillionth time, you say?), **livelaughlove87878**, **DegreeBound205**, and **Xerrex**. Thank you guys so much!

Thanks for reading! See you at the next update!


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